The Government eDNA Working Group 6th Annual eDNA Technical Exchange Workshop

The 6th annual Environmental DNA (eDNA) Technical Exchange Workshop was a virtual workshop hosted and coordinated by the Government eDNA Working Group (GEDWG) on January 24–26, 2023. GEDWG is a no-cost consortium that focuses on bringing together stakeholders associated with federal, state, provincial, municipal, and other government and non-government agencies interested in eDNA and related fields, for the purposes of sharing technical expertise and experience during monthly discussion meetings and annual workshops. Over 400 participants registered for the virtual Workshop, which featured four keynote speakers, 23 platform talks, eight short-form poster presentations, and an extended discussion session. Workshop attendees represented a broad cross-section of disciplines and backgrounds, including research scientists, natural resource managers, and conservation policy experts, and many different government agencies, private environmental consulting firms, trade organizations, non-governmental organizations, and others in the environmental management sector. Key takeaways from the workshop included moving the application of eDNA into resource management and discovering ways to improve policy uptake in the development of nationwide biodiversity monitoring, some of which is happening in the development of eDNA networks and national strategies. Future research directions discussed include studies of fate and transport, autonomous sampling/sample processing, and reference library curation. Additionally, co-design of studies and improved engagement and communication among scientists and managers are needed to ensure clear expectations and outcomes.