ENVIRONMENTAL DNA FORBIODIVERSITY MONITORINGINBHUTAN: RESULTS FROM A PILOT STUDY IN THE MANGDE CHHU RIVER BASIN

The pilot study in Bhutan's Mangde Chhu river basin demonstrates that eDNA metabarcoding can detect a wide array of vertebrate species, including rare and IUCN-listed threatened species, often complementing or exceeding the detections of traditional camera trapping. While the study identified 134 species and 201 unique vertebrate taxa, it highlighted significant gaps in the NCBI reference databases for birds and reptiles. The findings suggest eDNA is a cost-effective tool for monitoring high-value species like the tiger and Golden mahseer, though the authors recommend establishing national laboratories and expanding DNA databases to fully operationalize a national biodiversity monitoring framework.

• The eDNA pilot study successfully detected 201 unique vertebrate taxa, with 134 of these identified to the species level, including 60 mammals, 51 birds, 16 fishes, and 7 amphibians.
• eDNA was effective in detecting rare and IUCN-listed threatened species, including the critically endangered white-bellied heron (Ardea insignis) and the endangered golden mahseer (Tor putitora).
• Comparison with camera trap data showed that eDNA detected four species missed by cameras: the Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata), beech marten (Martes foina), takin (Budorcas taxicolor), and Indian hog deer (Axis porcinus).
• The study found a positive correlation between the average number of eDNA reads per sample and the average number of camera trap detections for carnivores and ungulates, suggesting eDNA's potential for estimating relative animal abundance.
• Reference database coverage in Genbank varies significantly by class: mammals are the most represented (71-74%), followed by amphibians (46%), fish (44-46%), birds (36-41%), and reptiles, which are the least represented (12-37%).
• Sampling efficiency differed by habitat; main river samples yielded the highest species diversity, while stagnant water samples yielded only a quarter of the species detected in running water, likely due to lower filtration volumes (2L vs 30-60L).
• Detection probabilities for several threatened species were remarkably high on specific primers, such as the tiger (Panthera tigris) and dhole (Cuon alpinus) at 0.75 on the mammal primer, and the Golden mahseer (Tor putitora) at 0.94 on the fish primer.
• The study identified significant infrastructure gaps in Bhutan, noting a lack of specialized eDNA laboratories and a scarcity of professionals skilled in bioinformatics and molecular biology.

APA

Lyet, A., Hehmeyer, A., Dhendup, T., Brigida, D., Letro, Pellissier, L., Tenzin, K., Wangdi, S., & Dorji, D. (2024). ENVIRONMENTAL DNA FORBIODIVERSITY MONITORINGINBHUTAN: RESULTS FROM A PILOT STUDY IN THE MANGDE CHHU RIVER BASIN. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/430/vlf29nqkv_Bhutan_eDNA_Pilot_Report_176_x_250_mm_.pdf_print_version.pdf

Chicago

Lyet, Arnaud, Abby Hehmeyer, Tashi Dhendup, Danielle Brigida, Letro, Loic Pellissier, Kuenley Tenzin, Sonam Wangdi, and Dechen Dorji. ENVIRONMENTAL DNA FORBIODIVERSITY MONITORINGINBHUTAN: RESULTS FROM A PILOT STUDY IN THE MANGDE CHHU RIVER BASIN. WWF International, 2024. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/430/vlf29nqkv_Bhutan_eDNA_Pilot_Report_176_x_250_mm_.pdf_print_version.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lyet |first1=Arnaud |last2=Hehmeyer |first2=Abby |last3=Dhendup |first3=Tashi |last4=Brigida |first4=Danielle |last5=Letro |last6=Pellissier |first6=Loic |last7=Tenzin |first7=Kuenley |last8=Wangdi |first8=Sonam |last9=Dorji |first9=Dechen |title=ENVIRONMENTAL DNA FORBIODIVERSITY MONITORINGINBHUTAN: RESULTS FROM A PILOT STUDY IN THE MANGDE CHHU RIVER BASIN |publisher=WWF International |date=2024 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/430/vlf29nqkv_Bhutan_eDNA_Pilot_Report_176_x_250_mm_.pdf_print_version.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lyet2024environmental, author = {Lyet, Arnaud and Hehmeyer, Abby and Dhendup, Tashi and Brigida, Danielle and Letro and Pellissier, Loic and Tenzin, Kuenley and Wangdi, Sonam and Dorji, Dechen}, title = {{ENVIRONMENTAL DNA FORBIODIVERSITY MONITORINGINBHUTAN: RESULTS FROM A PILOT STUDY IN THE MANGDE CHHU RIVER BASIN}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/430/vlf29nqkv_Bhutan_eDNA_Pilot_Report_176_x_250_mm_.pdf_print_version.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }