We’re proud to share that Wise Ancestors Conservation Challenge to generate the world’s first annotated reference genome of the endemic Bermuda Cedar (Juniperus bermudiana)— is now fully funded thanks to crowdfunding, and is officially underway!
This ambitious effort is part of Wise Ancestors’ pilot series of Conservation Challenges to strengthen conservation of the Bermuda Cedar, and is made possible through a partnership with Bermuda-based NGO BioQuest, the Bermuda National Trust, the Government of Bermuda’s Department of Culture, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ ORG.One.
“I’m excited that the DNA extraction and sequencing for this project will be done in Bermuda thanks to CariGenetics’ lab equipped with cutting-edge Nanopore technology—making this both a technical milestone and a model for community-based science,” Dr. Solenne Correard, Scientific Director of Wise Ancestors, shared.
Once the most dominant tree in Bermuda and central to its ecosystems, culture, and history, the Bermuda Cedar has been critically endangered since a mid-20th century die-off caused by invasive scale insects. The generation of the reference genome is an essential step to later allow the teams at Wise Ancestors and BioQuest to develop a genetic test which aims to distinguish true Bermudian Cedars, Juniperus bermudiana, from hybrids, and guide restoration using true Bermuda Cedar seedlings. The test development is a second Conservation Challenge for which fundraising is still ongoing, see more details and consider contributing here.
The reference genome will be shared globally, aiding the international efforts to sequence all life on Earth, led by the Earth BioGenome project. It will also be used to strengthen knowledge about the evolution of the species and how it’s adapted over time through a new Cultural Apprenticeship within the Bermuda’s Department of Culture Cultural Apprenticeship Programme.
“Having our first Conservation Challenge fund completed through crowdfunding on our platform is truly meaningful for us. It speaks to the passion that the general public has for species conservation and their commitment to being a part of the solution,” Dr. Ann Pace, Executive Director of Wise Ancestors said. “We are extremely grateful to The Skelly Charitable Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of Renaissance Charitable Foundation, for completing the funding phase of our Challenge. We are also grateful to BioQuest and Carigenetics for taking the dive into our new platform for decentralized conservation projects in partnership with Indigenous and local communities, and we look forward to co-developing additional Challenges with them in the near future!”
This achievement is a powerful example of what can be accomplished when science, culture, and community come together to protect biodiversity. Thank you to everyone who contributed—your support helps secure a future for this iconic tree and the life it sustains. We will be sharing updates here, on the Wise Ancestors Blog, as well as on LinkedIn, Instagram, and BlueSky.
