My lab is one of three survielance labs in the Department of Interior's Invasive Species Early Detection and Rapid Response Network. This is multi-agency effort to detect invasive species as early in the invasion process as possible. Environmental DNA is a critical tool for such early detections.
As a new technology for biomonitoring, environmental DNA has faced some early challenges. The approach was originally pitched as easy and cheap, leading to excitement that eDNA surveys could replace expensive traditional surveys. However, as the field has developed, eDNA researchers have come to understand that high-quality eDNA work requires dedicated lab space and specialized protocols to prevent contamination and produce high-quality data. The goal of eDNA work in my lab to produce reliable data that can be used to inform management actions. For that reason, we prioritize best-practices. Our eDNA lab space is physically seperate from our other lab space, and we have two ISO-8 clean rooms for different steps in the data generation process. Broadly, we follow best practices thave have been developed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USFWS Environmental DNA Best Practices Document.