The equity paradox of environmental DNA for biodiversity monitoring
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Your News feature on airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) suggests the technology could link “the whole [of] biodiversity, the whole world together with a single assay” (see Nature 652, 556–558; 2026). I welcome this optimism, but wish to highlight a paradox: the regions in greatest need of biodiversity monitoring are least equipped to deploy the technology in its current form.
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Nature 652, 1420 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01349-3
Competing Interests
M.F. is the founder of E.DNA TecBio, a company with a commercial interest in making airborne-eDNA sampling more accessible and affordable.
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Ecology
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Genetics
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Biodiversity
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