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Recently several scientists from GEO BON - as well as colleagues from the G-BiKE, AHTEG, IUCN, and other organizations - developed suggestions for including genetic diversity in biodiversity planning. The suggestions were developed in the context of the CBD National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) which are to be submitted this year, but the guidance also applies to local, regional, or supranational biodiversity planning, including by local governments, NGOs, and business. The 31 authors, led by Sean Hoban (The Morton Arboretum), Jess da Silva (SANBI) and Christina Hvilsom (Copenhagen Zoo), represent 21 countries. The suggestions were developed by reviewing 20 recently published (past few years) NBSAPs, including 8 submitted since COP15. The authors identified ten suggestions for better including genetic diversity in targets, actions and planning, capacity and resourcing, and monitoring and reporting. These include ensuring an inclusive, whole of society approach; making sure that national targets include all elements of Target 4 including within and among population genetic diversity; evaluating capacity for monitoring and reporting on genetic diversity; and summarizing existing in-country knowledge on genetic diversity. Besides English, the policy brief is available in Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili at the link below.

Copenhagen Zoo (ZOO) is looking to hire a scientist responsible for the science-based design and facilitation of stakeholder workshops under the international project ‘Genetic Indicators for NAture MOnitoring’ (GINAMO). The successful applicant will join the ZOO’s staff in the Conservation Department and will function as programme officer within the ZOO’s team of CPSG Europe - the European Regional Resource Centre (RRC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) – hosted by the ZOO. GINAMO is a three-year EU Biodiversa+ project involving 11 partner institutions from eight countries. GINAMO will use existing open access genetic and non-genetic data (including Earth observation data) to best determine accurate estimates of the two genetic diversity indicators of the Convention on Biological Diversity Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Genetic diversity forms the foundation of biodiversity and is essential for the resilience and adaptability of populations, species and ecosystems. The European Commission's Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity organized a webinar on January 18, 2024 to present the results from implementing in nine countries, including three in Europe, new cost-effective indicators for monitoring genetic diversity according to recently adopted international agreements. You can watch the full webinar on G-BiKE's YouTube channel at the link below.

In the "Policy Briefs" section of G-BiKE's web site a new Policy Brief accompanying the Heuertz et al. (2023) paper has been published. The brief offers nature managers the quick overview how to use genetic diversity information to more effectively achieve biodiversity conservation and sustainable nature management goals and to comply with biodiversity policies. The policy brief is currently available in English, French, German, Dutch, and Portuguese to increase outreach. You're invited to download/share.

From 19/09 to 18/10/2022 Roberta Gargiulo conducted a short-term scientific mission (STSM) titled "Estimating effective population size in genomic datasets: test of methods and assumptions". The STSM was carried out at INRAE Biogeco, hosted by dr Myriam Heuertz, the leader of G-BiKE's Working Group 3. Results of this STSM are now available in preprint in the publication titled "Estimation of contemporary effective population size in plant populations: limitations of genomic datasets". Effective population size (Ne) is a pivotal evolutionary parameter with crucial implications in conservation practice and policy. Genetic methods to estimate Ne have been preferred over demographic methods because they rely on genetic data rather than time-consuming ecological monitoring. Methods based on linkage disequilibrium, in particular, have become popular in conservation as they require a single sampling and provide estimates that refer to recent generations. Gargiulo et al. show how accuracy and precision of Ne estimates potentially change with the following factors: occurrence of missing data, limited number of SNPs/individuals sampled, and lack of information about the location of SNPs on chromosomes, with the latter producing a significant bias, previously unexplored with empirical data.

The Final event of the COST Action G-BIKE (CA18134) took place on 27-29 June 2023, at the Fondazione Edmund Mach, in San Michele all'Adige (Trento, ITALY). What a way to finalize our exciting journey for the past four years! But given the sentiment at the last meeting of the G-BiKE - this is just a beginning of a beautiful friendship and collaborative network! We bike on!!!