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Our mission is to accelerate the adoption and operational use of biomolecular approaches in UK marine monitoring. We do this by fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, addressing evidence gaps, and developing best practice that supports trusted evidence for marine conservation and management. |
Background
The use of biomolecular tools for monitoring has the potential to be transformative, enabling the detection of organisms without the need for direct observation or capture. The body of work exploring the application of these techniques across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems is rapidly growing. To support this work there are several groups which operate at different ecological and geographical scales, and whilst much can be learnt from other ecosystems, marine ecosystem pose some unique challenges. Discussions with the UK marine community highlighted that no fora existed to address marine specific eDNA questions. If we are to progress towards the operational use of molecular methods in marine monitoring, a forum dedicated to addressing the unique challenges posed by marine habitats is essential. In response to this need, the UK Marine Biomolecular Group (UK MBG) was established by JNCC in September 2024 with a focus on developing and operationalising biomolecular methods for marine statutory and regulatory purposes. Within the scope of this group biomolecular is defined as including environmental DNA and RNA (eDNA/eRNA) and ‘omics (DNA, RNA and protein).
The group does not look to duplicate existing work and recognises that there is a lot that can be learnt and is transferrable from other fields and countries. Its focus is on collaboration and knowledge sharing, both amongst its members but also through join up with external groups. A list of existing relevant groups and projects we are aware of has been produced. Please contact us is you have any additions to suggest.
More information on the UK MBG including it’s governance is provided in the Terms of Reference.
To contact the UK MBG please email UKMBG@jncc.gov.uk.
The UK Marine Biomolecular Group Action Plan
In 2026, the UK MBG developed a Marine Biomolecular Action Plan to provide a framework for progressing the operationalisation of marine biomolecular methods. The Plan focuses on identifying and prioritising key knowledge gaps, understanding barriers to uptake, and coordinating collaborative actions to address these challenges. The Plan is a ‘live’ document that is managed by the UK MBG Secretariat. If you have any suggested changes or can share information on projects that are addressing actions, please contact the Secretariat at UKMBG@jncc.go.uk.
The action plan outlines key actions to:
- promote marine biomolecular literacy,
- facilitate the development of best practice guidance/standards for the most important marine monitoring objectives (particularly those parts of the process that pertain specifically to marine sample collection),
- assess the resources required to integrate biomolecular within existing marine monitoring programmes,
- enhance collaboration and communication within the marine biomolecular community,
- provide a co-ordinated framework on which to base marine biomolecular monitoring.
These actions are grouped under six themes. Whilst many of the actions are specific to marine, some are also relevant to the wide DNA community.
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