UK researchers develop a new mechanism for measuring biodiversity: Two researchers from UK nonprofit Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (Bart) have carried out an experiment to analyze how environmental DNA (eDNA) tracing can help map out local aquatic species, Bloomberg writes. The team absorb water samples with a syringe and send them to a lab to assess the eDNA instead of using what some might call inhumane methods of electrocution before returning live animals to water.

The team’s approach: The team believes that, similar to human DNA fingerprinting, animals leave DNA traces wherever they roam. Their DNA tracing method can tie animal species to where they recently migrated, offer clues on the arrival of invasive species to a new location, and demonstrate the longevity of species that were once thought to be extinct, Bloomberg notes. Nestlé SA, Vale SA, EDF Renewables, are among corporations experimenting with the approach to boost biodiversity protection in line with their ESG strategies, Bloomberg notes.

Why does this matter? Freshwater populations declined by an average of 83% since 1970, and back at the United Nations summit in Montreal, 196 countries signed a once-in- a-decade pact to protect 30% of the planet’s oceans and lands by 2030. The economic toll of biodiversity collapse in certain ecosystems could total some USD 2.7 bn annually by 2030, according to a World Bank study. In our neck of the woods, Abu Dhabi — which published a fishery survey back in 2019 after two years of study — says the new eDNA testing equipments’ efficacy can help them publish their next survey “immediately,” Bloomberg quotes UN Climate Change High-Level champion for COP28 Razan Mubarak as saying.

Greenwashing fears: Unlike greenhouse gas emission measurements — which have a single metric — biodiversity measurements via the new eDNA approach are likely leave a loophole for corporate greenwashing with the absense of unified, regulated governmental frameworks, Bloomberg quotes Executive Director of the Green Finance Observatory Frédéric Hache as saying. “This is a very problematic reframing of conservation policies. Conservation is not a corporation’s role, it's the government's role. This is being promoted in order to claim that this is an alternative to government regulation,” Hache said. To help tackle the lack of governmental checks and balances, eDNA monitoring firm NatureMetrics has introduced the world’s first subscription service for “nature performance monitoring,” allowing clients to track changes in different ecosystems over time, Bloomberg notes.