This report summarises the key policy recommendations that emerged from a multi-stakeholder roundtable on how biodiversity genomics can support Europe’s response to biodiversity loss, drive innovation and contribute to the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the European Green Deal.
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Biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation are among the most pressing challenges of our time. As changing land-use, climate change and pollution place increasing pressure on species and habitats, understanding and predicting how biodiversity responds is critical to securing the planet’s future.
At the core of the EU's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and a pillar of the European Green Deal, nature conservation and green growth require innovative, cost-effective and scalable solutions. However, Europe still struggles to turn fragmented and complex biodiversity-related data into actionable insight and sustainable solutions.
Yet a new wave of biodiversity innovation is emerging. Just as genomics has transformed human medicine, it now offers powerful tools for biodiversity—enabling rapid, accurate identification of species, assessment of genetic diversity and genetic health, and better tracking of ecosystem changes. For instance, biodiversity genomics unlocks new ways to monitor species, protect pollinators, control invasive species and manage species of societal value, and restore habitats. And DNA-based techniques have already demonstrated value in driving innovation in agriculture, fisheries, forestry and other bioeconomy sectors. Furthermore, biodiversity genomic methods enable ground truthing to support remote sensing and earth observation.
While this emerging field sits at the intersection of several top EU policy priorities, Europe has not fully capitalised on the potential of biodiversity genomic innovation, which requires a coherent and sustainable framework to operate and deliver widespread adoption.
In October, Science|Business, in partnership with the Horizon-funded project Biodiversity Genomics Europe, convened a group of key policymakers, researchers, and civil society actors to explore how the most promising biodiversity genomic innovations can be scaled up as practical solutions for Europe’s environmental and economic transformation.
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