GCRF_NF143 Barcoding Galapagos: Recording and mitigating Covid-19 impacts using key-workers in eco-tourism

GCRF_NF143 加拉帕戈斯条形码：利用生态旅游关键工作人员记录和减轻 Covid-19 影响

• 批准号: EP/V029118/1
• 负责人: Camille Bonneaud
• 金额: $ 88.75万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FV029118%2F1
• 关键词: GCRF_NF143; Barcoding; Galapagos; Recording; mitigating

The diversity of life in a given area, its biodiversity, is fundamental to the stability and function of the ecosystem within that area, as well as to the services it can provide, including eco-tourism. However, we generally have limited knowledge of the constituents of biodiversity, with implications for our understanding of ecology and evolution, and the implementation of conservation. For example, even for conspicuous animals, such as birds, history has taught us that it is difficult to define a species based on traditional methods of grouping around morphology or song. By revealing hidden variation, molecular genetics has, more recently, exposed hundreds of new species of birds, and there are thought to be hundreds more to be discovered. In addition, molecular methods allow us to detect connectivity between populations, identify sub-species or races and uncover the genetic signature of individuals within a specific area. In turn, these allow us to study speciation in action, recognise threats to population viability, inform captive breeding programmes and even spot individuals that are illegally trafficked or caught. Finally, molecular tools are the fastest method of identifying plankton, the engine of our seas, and are the only viable means of estimating the number and signatures of species at the base of the tree of life (e.g., microbes). We propose to barcode the unique biodiversity of Galapagos, the inspiration for amongst the greatest scientific revolutions in history - Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Today, this Natural World Heritage site (est.1976) and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (est.1984) not only continues to help us understand the process of evolution by natural selection, but also inspires pioneering models of sustainability, conservation and ecotourism. Such models are celebrated for their long-term solutions to existing tensions between the preservation of biodiversity and the social-economic well-being of local inhabitants. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed their vulnerability to short-term perturbation. The consequence of this vulnerability is obviously far-reaching for a community wherein 80% are reliant on tourism. This not only means that the biodiversity from which we have learned so much and upon which the Galapagos' relies for its ecotourism industry, is under imminent threat from harvesting, but also that the naturalist guides, who are the 'eyes' of the park and disseminate Darwin's legacy to the 275,000 tourists annually, have lost their income. Our vision is to train and employ 84 naturalist guides to catalogue the biodiversity of Galapagos, from microbe to mammal, using 21st century genetic barcoding approaches. This 'Barcode of Life' project will ensure that: (1) the genetic profile of Galapagos is documented and curated so that the direct and indirect impacts of environmental perturbations can be quantified; and (2) naturalist guides, who are central to economic recovery for a population almost entirely reliant on ecotourism, receive immediate capacity-building employment. Throughout, we will (3) record the socio-economic consequences of our approach at the level of individuals and the community in order to guide future attempts at using locally-driven research to improve the socio-economic well-being and resilience of key workers in the ecotourism industry. Our project partner, the Galapagos Conservation Trust, will ensure that our initiative is widely publicised and discussed in schools, in the local community and with the numerous stakeholders (including National Parks, Biocontrol Agency, and the numerous NGO's working in the Galapagos). This novel initiative to barcode an ecosystem puts science at the forefront of socio-economic well-being, and acts as an important reminder of the long-term benefits of sustainable natural resources for employment and education.

一个特定地区的生命多样性，即生物多样性，对于该地区生态系统的稳定和功能，以及生态系统所能提供的服务，包括生态旅游，都至关重要。然而，我们通常对生物多样性的组成部分了解有限，这对我们理解生态学和进化以及实施保护具有影响。例如，即使对于鸟类这样引人注目的动物，历史也告诉我们，很难根据传统的形态学或歌声分组方法来定义一个物种。通过揭示隐藏的变异，分子遗传学最近已经揭示了数百种新的鸟类物种，而且人们认为还有数百种有待发现。此外，分子方法使我们能够检测种群之间的联系，识别亚种或种族，并揭示特定区域内个体的遗传特征。反过来，这些使我们能够研究物种形成，识别对种群生存能力的威胁，为圈养繁殖计划提供信息，甚至发现非法贩运或捕获的个体。最后，分子工具是识别浮游生物的最快方法，浮游生物是我们海洋的引擎，也是估计生命树底部物种数量和特征的唯一可行方法（例如，微生物）。我们建议对加拉帕戈斯独特的生物多样性进行条形码，这是历史上最伟大的科学革命之一-查尔斯达尔文的自然选择进化论的灵感来源。今天，这个世界自然遗产（est.1976）和联合国教科文组织生物圈保护区（est.1984）不仅继续帮助我们了解自然选择的进化过程，而且还激发了可持续性，保护和生态旅游的先驱模式。这些模式因长期解决了保护生物多样性与当地居民社会经济福祉之间的现有紧张关系而受到赞扬。然而，新型冠状病毒疫情暴露了它们对短期波动的脆弱性。这种脆弱性的后果显然对一个80%依赖旅游业的社区影响深远。这不仅意味着我们从中学到很多东西的生物多样性，以及加拉帕戈斯依赖于其生态旅游业的生物多样性，正面临着迫在眉睫的采伐威胁，而且博物学家导游，他们是公园的“眼睛”，每年向275，000名游客传播达尔文的遗产，已经失去了收入。我们的愿景是培训和雇用84名博物学家导游，使用21世纪世纪的遗传条形码方法，对加拉帕戈斯的生物多样性进行编目，从微生物到哺乳动物。这个“生命条形码”项目将确保：（1）加拉帕戈斯的基因概况得到记录和管理，以便对环境扰动的直接和间接影响进行量化;（2）对于几乎完全依赖生态旅游的人口来说，自然学家导游对经济复苏至关重要，他们将立即获得能力建设就业机会。在整个过程中，我们将（3）记录我们的方法在个人和社区层面上的社会经济后果，以指导未来使用本地驱动的研究来改善生态旅游行业关键工作人员的社会经济福祉和恢复力的尝试。我们的项目合作伙伴，加拉帕戈斯保护信托基金会，将确保我们的倡议在学校、当地社区和众多利益相关者（包括国家公园、生物控制机构和在加拉帕戈斯工作的众多非政府组织）中得到广泛宣传和讨论。这一为生态系统条形码的新举措将科学置于社会经济福祉的最前沿，并提醒人们可持续自然资源对就业和教育的长期利益。