Watch | Biodiversity Biobanks Gap Analysis & Expansion Project

South Africa is one of 17 megadiverse countries globally, with not only exceptional species richness, but also exceptional levels of uniqueness (endemism), as well as biome and ecosystem diversity.

Biodiversity biobanks are essential to preserving this vast biodiversity heritage (and food security, conservation, economic development, health, research and capacity development). But to get the most out of them, we need to know what’s in them – and what isn’t. 

Currently, various biodiversity biobanks in South Africa reside under different government departments, science councils, public entities, museums /herbaria, and universities. The number of biodiversity biobanks residing in private hands and unofficially in individual university laboratories is unknown, and there has been no national inventory of biodiversity biobanks and holdings in the country.

The result?

• Samples are often discarded at the end of projects
• Researchers cannot find information – availability/access to samples, where to deposit samples
• Same samples have to be collected repeatedly, waste of time and scarce resources
• Additional strain is placed on threatened species or populations

At the BBSA Forum earlier this year, members of the Biodiversity Biobanks South Africa (BBSA) community discussed a proposal to conduct an inventory assessment, gap analysis and expansion project for the biodiversity biobanks. 

The BBSA Inventory Assessment, Gap Analysis & Expansion Project aims to ensure that biodiversity biobanks have appropriate holdings so that they serve society in terms of food security, conservation, economic development, health, research and capacity development.

Post-doctoral researchers Felix Fru, Rekha Sathyan and Jacek Zawada have been hard at work on the project.

Here’s what they have to say about it…

About the BBSA
The Biodiversity Biobanks South Africa (BBSA) provides a coordinating structure across several of South Africa’s biodiversity biobanks. The vision of the BBSA is about securing and exploring South Africa’s biodiversity – by increasing the range and quality of samples stored and/or distributed, and increasing and improving access for research and development through a single, centralised data portal, which will also allow more strategic collection of samples.