May 2025
The project has launched a new collaboration with the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Germany to advance eDNA and bioinformatics research on Mauritius’ seagrass ecosystems. Through this partnership, eDNA samples will be analysed to uncover hidden biodiversity, strengthen restoration monitoring, and build local capacity in marine molecular ecology.
Partnership with Leibniz-ZMT in Bremen on eDNA and Bioinformatics
We are pleased to announce a new collaboration with the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, Germany, and Professor Oscar Puebla and Dr. Martin Helmkampf, leading experts in marine population genetics, biodiversity and bioinformatics.
This partnership strengthens the project’s work on environmental DNA (eDNA) and bioinformatics, two areas that are central to understanding the hidden biodiversity of seagrass meadows. Working with ZMT and Professor Puebla's research group, our team will analyse the eDNA data outputs provided by NatureMetrics from the lagoons of Roches Noires, Bel Ombre, and Mont Choisy, including the restored site at Roches Noires.
The collaboration brings advanced expertise in sequencing and bioinformatic pipelines, allowing us to not only track changes in biodiversity as restoration progresses, but also to begin understanding how ecosystem function and ecosystem services are related to seagrass meadow establishment. It will also help train our team in the latest analytical methods, building long-term capacity for marine molecular ecology in Mauritius.
Together with our partners at ZMT, we aim to ensure that the project’s eDNA data not only documents biodiversity but also contributes to evidence-based management, conservation, and restoration strategies for coastal ecosystems.
