eDNA Standards

Because eDNA is an emerging technology, standards are still being developed for methods, data, and the technologies themselves. While there are efforts underway to develop regional standards for specific applications, with some now being adopted by national regulatory agencies, there is no consensus on which standards are the most effective and useful across applications and locations.

The eDNA Collaborative aims to support the development of international standards that are fair and useful to all researchers, especially those in regions such as the global south or remote areas that may lack access to materials or laboratory and computing capacity. Thus, the eDNA Collaborative is working to understand how standardization of eDNA methods and protocols might support or hinder eDNA researchers globally. This collaborative research involves people on every continent and is resulting in publications and policy-relevant feedback to agencies and others working on eDNA standardization efforts. 

For more information on global eDNA standardization efforts, see the International eDNA Standardization Taskforce https://iestf.global/