Dataset

UNESCO eDNA expedition in Ningaloo Coast (Australia): May 2023

OBIS Secretariat DNADerivedData Open in mapper Explore occurrences

This dataset contains the eDNA data collected as a part of the UNESCO eDNA expeditions in Marine World Heritage Sites project in 2022-2024. The project was coordinated in collaboration with the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) of IOC-UNESCO and the marine programme of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, and funded by the government of Flanders (Kingdom of Belgium). The samples were collected with citizen science eDNA sampling kits, containing a syringe and a filter, and preserved with Longmire's buffer, before sequencing at a central laboratory. Five different biomarkers were analysed, including 12SMifish, Mimammal, Teleo, 16S-Vert and COI markers. The sequences were analysed with the PacMAN pipeline and quality controlled including a validation check by local scientists and site managers as well as compared to existing knowledge on species distributions in OBIS and GBIF. The full sampling protocols and materials are available on the project website (https://www.unesco.org/en/edna-training-materials?hub=66910), and the bioinformatics pipeline is on github (https://github.com/iobis/PacMAN-pipeline). The data can also be explored on the eDNA expeditions dashboard (https://dashboard.ednaexpeditions.org/).

Citation: Kelly T, Cooyou E, Murphy A, Cooyou J, Lewis Y, Barnes P, Andrews J, Brown J, Gudge S, Suominen S, Provoost P, Gillard E, Douvere F, Appeltans W (2025). UNESCO eDNA expedition in Ningaloo Coast (Australia): May 2023. Version 2.0. OBIS Secretariat. Occurrence dataset. https://doi.org/10.25607/290ncx

Published: November 27, 2025 at 11:10

URL: https://ipt.obis.org/secretariat/resource?r=edna-ningaloo-coast

Tray Kelly
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Ethan Cooyou
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Alex Murphy
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Jarrid Cooyou
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Yvette Lewis
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Peter Barnes
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Jenni Andrews
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Jackie Brown
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Sallyann Gudge
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Australia

Saara Suominen
UNESCO-IOC

Pieter Provoost
UNESCO-IOC

Elle Gillard
UNESCO-WHC

Fanny Douvere
UNESCO-WHC

Ward Appeltans
UNESCO-IOC

185,255
occurrence records
185,255
sequences
1,285
taxa
793
species

Taxa

Missing and invalid fields

Field Missing Invalid
coordinateUncertaintyInMeters 185,255
100.0%
maximumDepthInMeters 185,255
100.0%
minimumDepthInMeters 185,255
100.0%

Quality flags

The OBIS data quality flags are documented at https://github.com/iobis/obis-qc.

Flag Dropped Records
NO_DEPTH 185,255
100.0%
ON_LAND 171,019
92.3%
NO_ACCEPTED_NAME 109,309
59.0%
NOT_MARINE 473
0.3%
MARINE_UNSURE 249
0.1%

Measurement types

DNA derived data