Registration number: SQ02010087
Project title: eDNA4Nature: Tools for the Detection and Restoration of Biodiversity in Aquatic Ecosystems Using Environmental DNAFunding Agency: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR)
Programme: Environment for Life 2
Project coordinator: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences
Project partners: Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, Charles University
Faculty of Environmental Sciences project leader: doc. Ing. Jiří Vojar, Ph.D.
Project Duration: 03/2026–12/2028
Total Project Budget: CZK 14,098,697
Budget for the Faculty of Environmental Sciences: CZK 4,579,165
Abstract:
The eDNA4Nature project is focused on optimising and implementing environmental DNA (eDNA) methods for the detection of invasive and specially protected species associated with aquatic environments, specifically fish, amphibians, bivalves, crayfish and dragonflies. The eDNA approach enables the non-invasive and highly sensitive detection of species presence on the basis of genetic material released into the water, and thus represents a modern tool for monitoring biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems and beyond. The project aims to optimise procedures for eDNA sample collection and processing, compare the accuracy of this method with that of conventional monitoring, and assess its economic costs. It responds to the growing need for reliable monitoring in connection with the conservation of threatened species, the early identification of invasive organisms, and the fulfilment of national and European commitments in nature conservation. The main output will be a certified methodology (NmetS) containing optimised procedures for sampling, analysis and data interpretation, together with a framework for practical application and a cost analysis. Its key benefit will be the transfer of validated methods into applied practice, particularly for monitoring organised by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (AOPK ČR), and for the assessment of the impacts of development projects, including EIA processes and various types of biological surveys and evaluations.