BioDivMed 2023 Mission: Environmental DNA for a Groundbreaking Map of Mediterranean Marine Biodiversity
Under the joint leadership of the Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse Water Agency, the University of Montpellier, and a joint laboratory funded by the ANR between the Marbec research unit and the company SpyGen, the BioDivMed 2023 Mission will conduct a synchronized and standardized inventory of marine life along the French Mediterranean coast and the Pelagos Sanctuary using environmental DNA (eDNA). This unprecedented and exemplary partnership dedicated to marine biodiversity also involves the company Andromède Océanologie, the Vigilife alliance, and two philanthropic associations from Nice: OceanoScientific and We are Méditerranée.
This unique initiative will make it possible, for the first time, to map marine biodiversity in the French Mediterranean in high detail and in real time—from the coastal zone, including lagoons, river mouths, and ports, all the way to the Pelagos Marine Sanctuary between Corsica and the mainland.
700 DNA samples over 2,000 kilometers
What is the goal of the BioDivMed Mission? To identify and better understand the distribution of fish, crustacean, and marine mammal species, and then create a detailed, high-resolution map of marine biodiversity. To achieve this, environmental DNA (eDNA) technology will be used to enable a standardized inventory of the Mediterranean, conducted in a synchronized manner through four sampling campaigns: over four months, more than 700 eDNA filtrations will be carried out in marine and brackish waters spanning over 2,000 kilometers.
DNA metabarcoding is a new technology that enables the assessment of aquatic biodiversity through the DNA traces left by species in their environment. The filtration and analysis of environmental DNA allow for the detection of numerous species and thus hold great potential for developing a new generation of indicators of the health of marine waters under human impact or subject to protective measures.
Never before has such a synchronized and standardized survey of marine biodiversity been undertaken on French territory.
This unprecedented effort stems from the collaboration and synergy of four oceanographic expeditions scheduled for this year between May and August 2023:
- PISCIS, a monitoring program assessing the health of Posidonia and coralligenous seagrass beds, carried out on behalf of the Water Agency by Andromède Océanologie;
- PIAF, a study of marine life in soft and sandy substrates; PIAF is coordinated by the University of Montpellier;
- The OceanoScientific Expedition, which will sail along the Mediterranean coast from the Italian border to the Spanish border to collect marine DNA samples; to educate and raise awareness about issues related to the ocean and its biodiversity by organizing the "Tour Mer & Métiers" as part of the Exemplary Mediterranean Coastline (Famex 2030) program;
- The Pelagos Expedition organized by the We are Méditerranée association, whose goal is to study marine life in the pelagic zone, particularly within the Pelagos Sanctuary, a marine protected area (MPa) designed to protect marine mammals within a triangle formed by the French and Italian mainland, with Corsica at its apex.
Thanks to this collaboration, an initial map of marine biodiversity (with a resolution of 10 kilometers) will be made available to all stakeholders and managers of coastal and marine areas on the Medtrix and Vigilife Maps platforms (the Global Living Observatory, of which the University of Montpellier and SpyGen are two founding members) in 2024.
Key dates for the BioDivMed 2023 Mission:
- April 27, 2023: Launch of the PIAF program in Carnon
- May 9, 2023: Launch of the Pelagos expedition from the port of Nice
- May 20, 2023: Launch ofthe OceanoScientific Expedition from Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône
- June 8, 2023: Presentation of the BioDivMed 2023 Mission in Montpellier, attended by partners and the press
- June 6, 2023: Launch of the PISCIS program from Carnon
- June 8, 2024: Presentation of the final results and a map of marine biodiversity in the French Mediterranean
* June 8 is World Oceans Day
Marine DNA: An innovative technique for surveying marine biodiversity
Until now, monitoring marine wildlife has primarily relied on techniques such as fishing, visual surveys conducted by divers or using underwater cameras, and acoustic methods. However, these techniques are invasive or even destructive and do not provide a complete picture, as many species go undetected because they are elusive, too small, or rare.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a new technology that allows for the assessment of aquatic biodiversity through DNA traces collected from the environment. In fact, all species constantly secrete fluids and cells containing DNA that can persist in the environment for several hours. These eDNA traces are used to identify all species within a given taxonomic group present in the studied environment using a metabarcoding technique. More information on the technology: www.vigilife.org/nos-technologies
Partners
This project is fully aligned with theUniversity of Montpellier’s strategy, which aims to bring together the scientific, institutional, and economic communities to address three major and interrelated challenges—feeding, healing, and protecting—that are consistent with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Our project lies at the intersection of the challenges of feeding and protecting, as the sea is a source of food whose sustainable use must be ensured through conservation and management measures. This dual challenge is also central to the Marbec laboratory, whose primary objective is to reconcile the use and conservation of marine biodiversity.
The Water Agency is a state-run public institution under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment, whose mission is to restore water and aquatic environments to good condition. In accordance with the polluter-pays principle, it collects fees paid by all users—households, local governments, industries, and farmers—based on the volumes they withdraw and the pollution they discharge. The funds collected are reinvested in local governments, industries, farmers, and organizations working to improve the quality of water and aquatic environments: improving sanitation systems, reducing pollution from toxic substances, conserving and sharing water, restoring the quality of water sources degraded by diffuse pollution (pesticides and nitrates), preserving strategic resources for drinking water, restoring the natural functioning of rivers, marine environments, and degraded or threatened wetlands… The Water Agency operates under a 2019–2024 action plan that sets the key priorities for the next six years. The agency has an annual funding capacity of approximately €440 million and employs 330 people.
SpyGen is a mission-driven company specializing in rare environmental DNA. As the first company in the world to offer environmental DNA expertise since its founding in 2011, SpyGen develops and implements the most effective methods available in the field to carry out long-term inventory and monitoring programs of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity across all groups of living organisms. In marine environments, scientific studies and expeditions conducted by SpyGen and its partners in the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans have demonstrated the effectiveness of environmental DNA methods for monitoring biodiversity, particularly megafauna. In 2021, SpyGen launched, in collaboration with several international public and private partners, the multi-stakeholder platform Vigilife, which aims to establish a global biodiversity monitoring observatory using its environmental DNA technologies and to improve our understanding of all living organisms.
Since 2021, Marbec and SpyGen have established a joint laboratory, LabCom (Environmental DNA Diagnostics of Marine Environments: Diag-ADNe), funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR), which serves as a catalyst for the development of new tools to overcome methodological barriers and support a new long-term joint strategy (both industrial and academic) aimed at establishing leadership in a rapidly growing field.
Andromède Océanologie is a small business founded in 2008 by Laurent Ballesta, Pierre Descamp, and Florian Holon. Its goals are to carry out all types of projects related to the study and promotion of the marine environment, to combine science and imagery, and to raise awareness of the richness and fragility of the marine environment.
Andromède Océanologie’s activities are centered on three main areas, with a constant focus on innovation:
- The exhibition: scientific expeditions, films, books, and photographs—including over 25,000 shots by Laurent Ballesta, an internationally renowned diver and underwater photographer;
- Biological monitoring and habitat mapping. Andromède thus operates several monitoring networks to assess the ecological status of coastal waters
- Ecological engineering: management and restoration of marine ecosystems, support, consulting, expertise…
Among Andromède Océanologie’s latest achievements are, for example, the Medtrix mapping platform, which provides access to the results of various coastal water monitoring projects; most of the maps of coastal marine communities in the French Mediterranean; and continuous mapping (1:10,000) and its regular updates (Donia Expert project), mapping of coastal pressures and activities (Impact project), the Donia community smartphone and tablet app to assist with recreational boating at sea, the transplantation of 500 m² of seagrass during the offshore extension of Anse du Portier (Monaco), the Gombessa expeditions and their documentaries (Coelacanth, Antarctica, Mystery of the Grouper, 700 Sharks, Exploring the Mediterranean via Saturation Diving…), books of underwater photography (Planet Seas, Adélie: Land and Sea, A Life in the Port of Marseille, Secrets of the Mediterranean, …), photography exhibitions…
We are Méditerranée is a non-profit environmental protection organization established under the French law of 1901, founded by nature photographer Greg Lecoeur. Its primary goal is the preservation of the Mediterranean Sea. Its initiatives aim to combine art and science in an effort to raise public awareness. “Expedition Pelagos” is a project to raise awareness and celebrate Mediterranean biodiversity within the Pelagos Sanctuary, an invitation to reconnect with Nature. To contribute to a better knowledge and understanding of marine ecosystems, several scientific missions will be carried out during sailing expeditions. Through the lens of photography, nature photographer Greg Lecoeur and his team offer a fresh perspective on Mare Nostrum, inspiring us to take action and protect the environment on which we all depend. Following the expedition, a major communication campaign will be launched through photo reports and exhibitions, films, conferences, and educational outreach to schoolchildren.
OceanoScientific is a non-profit organization established in Paris on January 7, 2001, and now based in Nice. It is chaired by Yvan Griboval, a sailor and explorer who previously competed in offshore racing and worked as a professional journalist, as well as an organizer of internationally renowned sailing competitions and a specialist in marketing and event communications. OceanoScientific raises awareness and educates the general public with the aim of fostering respect for and love of the ocean and its biodiversity to promote their preservation for the benefit of future generations; contributes to the implementation of CO2-neutral oceanographic sailing expeditions in little- or unexplored maritime areas to increase knowledge of the ocean, as well as the causes and consequences of climate change and pollution; focuses its efforts on helping to safeguard the genetic heritage of marine organisms threatened with extinction, particularly those of coral reefs, by promoting their use for the benefit of health and well-being in accordance with the Nagoya Protocol; implements all initiatives aimed at engaging young people during their school and higher education to encourage them to pursue careers related to the ocean, while respecting nature and the harmony of its biodiversity; acts in accordance with the standards and recommendations of United Nations (UN) agencies and the international scientific community, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations dedicated to the understanding and preservation of the ocean and its biodiversity.
