Posted by anon on 04/07/2020.
I study environmental DNA from different surfaces, like air and dust. This isn’t ‘living’ per se, but is it still regulated by the Protocol?
I study environmental DNA from different surfaces, like air and dust. This isn’t ‘living’ per se, but is it still regulated by the Protocol?
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editor
7 Apr 2020Great question! We’re checking with some colleagues and will update this comment soon.
editor
6 Nov 2020Right now this is not regulated at all, but environmental samples may contain entire microbes, and thus for sample collections such as soil in a freezer, you may want to look at how the microbial culture collections are handled through the Nagoya Protocol. Regarding international policy, for soils, we already have a thorough USDA import system, and most countries have a rigorous export system (assuming you would import into the US) and currently, these agreements would hold up, not be replaced, by NP agreements.