Project
eDNA metabarcoding to monitor biodiversity in livestock production systems
Worldwide biodiversity is under pressure according to the WWF's 2024 Living Planet Report. Changes in our food systems are therefore necessary. In Dutch livestock farming systems, local farm biodiversity besides the different breeds of production animals and crops is hardly known.
The aim of this project is to develop protocols for collecting eDNA data on livestock farms and to provide insight into the status of biodiversity on the farm, including which species are positive and negative, and what the differences in species composition are over time, for example related to different management strategies taken. To this end, we develop protocols for sampling and analysis specifically for livestock farms. We also investigate which (combination of) samples are most valuable for the identification of the various species.
We are developing a dashboard to clearly display results for users. This should show what the current state of local farm biodiversity is.We monitor biodiversity over time within the same farm to see whether positive or negative developments in respose to changes in management strategies are visible over time. We also compare farms to see whether there are certain management differences that may lead to differences in biodiversity profiles.At the same time, with this project we are collecting a wealth of information in the field of biodiversity on livestock farms that we can compare with data collected in nature reserves or other ecosystems.