A national DNA library launched today aims to significantly improve how Australia monitors biodiversity across land and marine environments, offering researchers a new tool to track ecosystem health and detect emerging environmental pressures.
The National Biodiversity DNA Library (NBDL), developed by CSIRO, provides a verified collection of DNA reference sequences that enables scientists to identify plants and animals from environmental DNA collected in water, soil or air. The resource is intended to support governments, researchers and industry as they work to better understand species distribution, detect threats and measure environmental change.
CSIRO Director of the NBDL Dr Jenny Giles said the ability to generate large volumes of eDNA data has grown rapidly, but the lack of an authoritative reference database has limited the accuracy of species identification. She said the first release of data has already improved fish detection rates by 10–40 per cent in eDNA samples collected across Australian waters.
The initial release, funded by the Minderoo Foundation, includes reference sequences for nearly 2,500 marine fish species — around half of Australia’s known fish fauna — using specimens from the Australian Museum, Queensland Museum and CSIRO’s Australian National Fish Collection. Additional data is being provided through a partnership with Parks Australia covering marine invertebrates, macroalgae and seagrasses.
Over time, the NBDL will expand to include all scientifically named Australian animal and plant species, along with key fungal, algal and pest species. CSIRO said the library serves as national infrastructure to support emerging DNA-based monitoring technologies and will become increasingly valuable as the dataset grows.
Contributors from national museums and herbaria are providing verified specimens, with the library drawing on CSIRO’s sequencing technologies that allow DNA extraction from large volumes of historical collection material. Each reference sequence in the NBDL is linked to an expertly identified specimen.
Dr Shannon Corrigan from Minderoo Foundation’s OceanOmics program said the NBDL will enable more comprehensive biodiversity assessments, including the ability to distinguish closely related species and detect threatened or transient species from environmental samples.
Bioplatforms Australia spokesperson Sarah Richmond said the resource strengthens Australia’s capacity to conduct scalable and accurate eDNA monitoring, supporting more informed environmental management.
Partners in the NBDL include CSIRO, Bioplatforms Australia, the Minderoo Foundation, federal environment and agriculture agencies, Parks Australia, the Australian Antarctic Division, Illumina, Taxonomy Australia and national museums and herbaria. The NBDL portal and user guide are publicly available.
