Genetic, genomic, synthetic - new approaches for biodiversity conservation

Abstract

With the rapid development of genomic tools we are now able to assess genetic diversity as one of the three components of biodiversity in much higher accuracy. At the same time these tools allow us also to write and manipulate genetic material to a previously unknown extent. This is reflected in the development of the field of Synthetic Biology, where new biological systems are designed and constructed as well as existing natural systems being redesigned. The rise of this discipline is offering the potential to provide novel approaches to address problems in biodiversity conservation, whereas on the other side intentional genetic manipulation on a large scale is a topic of extensive discussion. Do we want to use such novel approaches when we want to stop the ongoing loss of species and habitats? Or do we position ourselves in a way that assesses these technologies more critically? In any case the field of synthetic biology is developing extremely fast and we have to find a way of positioning ourselves. I will here highlight the recent development and discussions in the field and present a few case studies where Synthetic Biology approaches might actually be a solution to previous intractable conservation problems such as the control of wildlife disease and the eradication of invasive species