Environmental DNA sampling begins in the Crozet Archipelago to map marine life from water samples

23 October 2026

Environmental DNA sampling has begun in the Crozet Archipelago, part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Marine organisms shed traces of DNA into the water through waste, mucus and shed cells, and analysing those traces shows which species are present in an area from a water sample alone, without capturing or disturbing a single animal. The work is part of eDNA Expeditions, a citizen science initiative that measures marine biodiversity and the impacts of climate change at UNESCO marine World Heritage sites. Sampling has taken place at twenty-one sites since 2018. The first phase in 2022 covered four sites and detected 181 species and 418 taxa, the higher taxa count reflecting detections that could not be identified down to species level. In 2026 the French Southern and Antarctic Lands administration is launching a second phase covering seven sites, including the original four, so that changes in biodiversity can be tracked over time. The Government of France is listed as a partner. Ships resupply the remote archipelagos only about three times a year. The first Crozet samples are being collected this month, while the United Nations Biodiversity Conference meets at Yerevan in Armenia.