Scaling eDNA for Impact: Bridging Biodiversity Data, Biosecurity, and Environmental Action

Dr Shaun Wilkinson
Founder & CEO | Wilderlab

Dr Shaun Wilkinson is Founder and CEO of Wilderlab, a New Zealand-based eDNA laboratory specialising in high-throughput biodiversity monitoring across freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments. He holds a PhD in Ecology and Biodiversity from Victoria University of Wellington and was awarded a Rutherford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship for eDNA research conducted on coral reef systems in Timor-Leste.

Dr Wilkinson's applied research centres on metabarcoding workflows, eDNA sampling kit development, and analytical tools that support large-scale ecosystem assessment. His work bridges ecological research and operational environmental management, with a focus on translating eDNA data into decision-ready outputs for regulatory and conservation applications.

Talk Title:
Revolutionizing Biodiversity Monitoring with Environmental DNA (eDNA)

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is transforming the way we monitor and protect biodiversity. Wilderlab has been at the global forefront of its development and application, with whole ecosystem metabarcoding panels now a standard tool for many government agencies, environmental consultancies and community groups. The Wilderlab public eDNA dataset is a rich and expanding resource, with over 25K samples, 6M biodiversity records from 35K taxa, and 15K TICI ecosystem health scores. This public resource has already proven instrumental in early detection and eradication of invasive species like the fringed water lily, in locating and protecting threatened species like the critically endangered Clutha flathead galaxias, and in assessing biodiversity and ecosystem health following events such as Cyclone Gabrielle.

Harnessing the potential of eDNA in addressing our biodiversity crisis requires global expansion and collaboration, prioritizing the generation of comprehensive reference data, promoting data sharing, creating accredited, standardized tools, and developing innovative methods to transform complex biodiversity information into useful metrics and actionable insights. In this presentation, I will highlight our ongoing research and development programme, and offer perspectives on future pathways to maximize the impact of eDNA technology.

Dr Shane Herbert
Business Manager | eDNA Frontiers, Curtin University

Shane Herbert is Business Manager at eDNA Frontiers, Curtin University, responsible for commercialisation strategy and client engagement across industry, government, and research sectors. He brings more than 20 years of experience in genomics, proteomics, and life science services, including senior roles at the Australian Genome Research Facility and Proteomics International.

At eDNA Frontiers, Mr Herbert works with scientific teams to develop applied eDNA services for biodiversity monitoring, environmental impact assessment, biosecurity, and resource sector programmes. His focus is on the translation of research-grade eDNA technologies into operational frameworks for regulatory and industry clients.

Talk Title:
Cutting-edge eDNA science is only valuable if it reaches the people who need it

eDNA Frontiers at Curtin University has been at the centre of eDNA’s evolution from a research focused technique to a powerful, scalable solution for biodiversity assessment, biosecurity, and environmental decision making. For the past eight years, we’ve translated academic level innovation into practical, reliable, high impact services for industry, government, and community partners.

Our team brings together deep scientific expertise with operational systems built for real world constraints. Quality assurance, methodological robustness, contamination controlled workflows, and rapid, reliable turnaround times are embedded throughout our service, ensuring clients receive data they can trust and act on. We deliver adaptable, project specific solutions tailored to the needs of environmental impact assessments, conservation programs, port and shipping biosecurity, and ecological research.

This presentation will introduce what eDNA Frontiers’ services and applications look like in practice, from using Wilderlab panels to customised taxonomic targets and single species assessments. I’ll highlight the environments we sample, how we analyse them, and how we’re making collections—from routine to ambitious—simpler and more affordable. I’ll also introduce a new data display tool and outline how we’re supporting interoperable data initiatives to help users unlock the power of combined information for monitoring, management, and long term environmental stewardship.