A groundbreaking new technique analysing DNA traces in water offers hope for the future protection of rare and endangered aquatic species – including Britain’s population of great crested newts – by making it much easier to find them in the depths of ponds and streams.

In one of the world’s first applications of the pioneering survey method, a Defra-funded research project has discovered that monitoring levels of environmental DNA (eDNA) in water is a remarkably accurate and rapid method for detecting the great crested newt.  The research – led by the Freshwater Habitats Trust with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, University of Kent and genetics company SpyGen – is an important breakthrough.  The findings also bring potential benefits for developers who often have to provide planners with an accurate assessment of great crested newt populations on proposed development sites. The new method could reduce both the need for specialist surveyors and the amount of time traditionally taken on newt survey work, giving significant cost savings for developers.

A more detailed study of 35 ponds in Hampshire and North Wales looked at how well the eDNA test detected newts over time. These intensive studies showed that a single water sample taken at any time during the newt breeding season of late April to June is almost certain to detect newts when present. DNA detected newts on 139 out of 140 occasions – a 99.3% success rate.

Both surveys were more effective than any combination of traditional methods for finding great crested newts, such as torch counting at night, bottle trapping or searching for eggs. Including time to get to and from the pond, it took volunteers only two hours to collect an eDNA sample. To detect newts with similar levels of certainty using traditional methods requires four night-time visits over a month by two people, taking up to 48 hours – 10 times longer.

The eDNA test is at least 10 times faster than traditional surveying methods, and surveyors can collect the necessary water samples quickly, easily and with only simple training. This means that many more sites can be checked for newts, and changes in their distribution across the whole country can be more easily measured – providing information that is essential for effective conservation and for land-use planning.

Click here for more information