Title : A step forwards in making Italian biodiversity globally accessible: The NBFC molecular biodiversity platform
Abstract:
Italian biodiversity is remarkably rich and varied due to the geographical and eco-climatic peculiarities of the country. Protecting, conserving, and enhancing this wealth must be a priority, starting with the morphological and molecular categorization of species. Genetic analysis are essential for the conservation, management, and valorization of biodiversity, with several diagnostic, commercial, and forensic implications. The National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) is developing a molecular platform for biodiversity identification by creating a DNA barcode reference library of Italian flora and fauna and by collecting eDNA data. The project aims to barcode over 4,000 species, including endemic, vulnerable, and rare taxa, as well as species essential for ecosystem functioning, such as pollinators. Moreover, NBFC is aggregating existing data produced by Italian researchers and has created a biobank containing genomic samples from Italian flora and fauna. Additionally, several tools for genomic analysis have been implemented. This platform aims to support biodiversity research by creating thematic databases, including species such as dragonflies, birds, Italian flora, pollinators, and alien species. These databases will facilitate research on biodiversity restoration, conservation, and regeneration, while also providing critical tools for industries, such as supply chain monitoring in the food sector, customs control, and the prevention of invasive species spread in cities. Finally, to promote the NBFC's efforts in an international context, connections with the International Barcode of Life (iBOL) and the BIOSCAN consortia, as well as their international databases (BOLD and GenBank), will be activated. This strategy will align NBFC with numerous European projects aimed at creating national biodiversity databases, such as ABOL (Austria), GBOL (Germany), NorBOL (Norway), CroBOL (Croatia), and SwissBOL (Switzerland). The active participation of NBFC researchers in populating the platform will contribute to greater visibility for their projects on an international scale and will represent a legacy of NBFC's considerable efforts.
