eDNA results from Makira Expedition 2023 published
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The results of the freshwater environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys completed during the multi-institutional RIDGES/Re:wild funded expedition to the Makira Forest Protected Area (MFPA), Madagascar, have been published open-access in the Journal of eDNA as:
Biggs, C., and C.Le Breton. 2026. “Comparing Freshwater eDNA With Conventional Survey Methods to Detect Vertebrate Biodiversity in a Malagasy Tropical Rainforest.” Environmental DNA8, no. 3: e70301.
eDNA metabarcoding analysis has revolutionised the field of conservation ecology as a non-invasive, high throughput approach to species detection able to reveal the presence of cryptic (both genetically and visually), invasive and undescribed species. Since the turn of the millennium, it has been deployed in a number of contexts, from prehistoric ice cores and sediments, tropical forest soils and deep-sea open-water pelagic ecosystems. eDNA presents significant advantages over conventional survey methods, including cost effectiveness, time efficiency, scalability and equity. It remains one of the most significant breakthroughs in molecular approaches in conservation biology of recent years. However, less attention has been paid to how it can best be deployed to generate accurate biodiversity baselines alongside traditional sampling methods.
Excitingly, this constitutes the first study from the MFPA that directly compares the efficacy of freshwater eDNA surveys of vertebrate taxa in parallel to conventional conservation survey techniques, whilst additionally providing updated biodiversity baselines for this protected area. By sampling freshwater sites within the expedition study area of the MFPA, the authors reveal that eDNA metabarcoding analysis outperformed all conventional survey techniques used, across the vertebrate taxa analysed, increasing overall species detection rates.
The paper demonstrates the importance of considering eDNA as a complementary tool alongside conventional survey approaches to accurately and reliably capture biodiversity within ecosystems for improved biodiversity monitoring and policy guidance, particularly in understudied regions that present darkspots and threatspots of biodiversity.
We are thankful to our collaborative partners: Re:wild, American Bird Conservancy, BMNH, the Peregrine Fund, WCS, BINCO, the Universite d'Antananarivo and the Malagasy Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development for their support of this expedition.
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