BUILD-GENDIV

The BUILD-GENDIV proposal will help us build an application for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Training Network call HORIZON-MSCA-2025-DN-01-01. The training network we set out to build carries the provisional title GTN-GENDIV - Global Training Network for Applied Conservation of Genetic Diversity. Biodiversity is vital for humans and our planet, but it is threatened globally. Genetic diversity is essential for the maintenance and resilience of all populations, species, landraces and breeds. The 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, United Nations Environmental Program) includes protecting and restoring genetic diversity of all species through its Goal A and Target 4. GTN-GENDIV builds on a consortium of partners from European countries and selected countries from the global south to train a new generation of conservation biologists with the aim of effectively protecting the genetic component of biodiversity in all ecosystems, wild and managed, and in all species, including wild species and those used by humans. This new generation of conservation biologists must be trained, through interdisciplinary, intersectoral and international collaboration 1. in the use of genomic methods and non-DNA-proxy-based approaches, to assess genetic diversity, 2. in co-constructing the planning and implementation of genetic conservation with the engagement of local communities and, 3. in the application and development of relevant policies that enable the efficient protection of genetic diversity. GTN-GENDIV will therefore address the following research and training objectives through doctoral projects: 1. Proxies - Investigate how non-DNA-data-based proxies can help assessing genetic indicators when DNA-based studies are unnecessary or hard to deploy. 2. Genomics - Advance genomics-based monitoring beyond the current state of the art, e.g. eDNA for community genomics, genomics-based indicator computation, 3. Socio-ecosystems - Apply genetic diversity conservation locally, with local stakeholders, based on benefit sharing and the promotion of evolutionary thinking; 4. Policy - Contribute to the development of best practice regional policy for conservation of genetic diversity and sustainable use of natural resources, These objectives will be complemented by additional training, management and communication objectives, including the promotion of complementary skills, to foster doctoral candidates’ long-term employability and their capacity to tackle future scientific and professional challenges. The consortium members are selected based on their competences matching the project objectives (competence pillars), and include members that have extensive previous collaboration expertise in the science-policy interface in conservation genetics, through COST Actions G-BIKE and GENOA and Biodiversa+ project GINAMO. The coordinator, a plant population and conservation geneticist, led/leads work packages/working groups under these projects and has supervised seven PhD students. Funding is being sought for travelling for in-person meetings as well as for consulting services to help in project preparation.