The Conversation: Strong progress – from a low base: here’s what’s in NSW’s biodiversity reforms

Professor Carolyn Hogg from the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney, Jaana Dielenberg from Charles Darwin University and Professor Hugh Possingham from the University of Queensland discuss the NSW Government’s proposed major overhaul of the Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Find the full article here: https://theconversation.com/strong-progress-from-a-low-base-heres-whats-in-nsws-biodiversity-reforms-234917

Australia’s ‘Easter bunny’, the bilby, has had its genome fully sequenced

Under pressure from predatory foxes and cats and competing with feral rabbits, the Greater bilby has lost more than 80 percent of its habitat. Conservation work led by Professor Carolyn Hogg is designed to help save the bilby from extinction.

Read the full article here: https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2024/07/01/australia-greater-bilby-genome-sequenced-marsupial-conservation.html

Translating genomic advances into biodiversity conservation

Type: Journal Article

Reference: Hogg, C.J. Translating genomic advances into biodiversity conservation. Nat Rev Genet (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-023-00671-0

Abstract

A key action of the new Global Biodiversity Framework is the maintenance of genetic diversity in all species to safeguard their adaptive potential. To achieve this goal, a translational mindset, which aims to convert results of basic research into direct practical benefits, needs to be applied to biodiversity conservation. Despite much discussion on the value of genomics to conservation, a disconnect between those generating genomic resources and those applying it to biodiversity management remains. As global efforts to generate reference genomes for non-model species increase, investment into practical biodiversity applications is critically important. Applications such as understanding population and multispecies diversity and longitudinal monitoring need support alongside education for policymakers on integrating the data into evidence-based decisions. Without such investment, the opportunity to revolutionize global biodiversity conservation using genomics will not be fully realized.