Bridging the Gap between Conservation and Synbio in Global Biodiversity Governance: iGEM Delegation to CBD COP15

by Shreya Kulkarni (Team lead of iGEM IISER-Pune2_India 2022 Team, iGEM Delegate to COP15), Florian Hänsel, (Fellow of iGEM Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program, Team Lead of iGEM Duesseldorf 2022, iGEM Delegate to COP15), Yuhan BAO (iGEM Human Practices Program Officer, Head of iGEM delegation to COP15)

“iGEM is a unique setting that is not only building the future workforce for synthetic biology, but is instilling in them reflection and responsibility in a way that can be found nowhere else.”

- Piers Millett, Vice President of Safety & Security, iGEM Foundation

Since its start in 2016, the iGEM Delegates Program has offered many iGEMers the opportunity to participate in several important events on scientific governance over the course of the past six years, such as the Biological Weapons Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the IUCN Global Youth Summit. Through the program, iGEMers can learn about existing protocols and policies of great impact on scientific research and become involved in the global discussion on synthetic biology and its diverse applications.

In 2022, iGEM introduced the Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program, offering 36 iGEMers concerned about the global loss of biodiversity an opportunity to contribute to the solution through innovation and global cooperation. Over the course of six months, participants were immersed in training sessions and connected with many international experts in the field so they could develop their own thoughts and approaches to global biodiversity governance.

This past week, iGEM sent six delegates from the Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program to Montréal, Canada to participate in the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity by the United Nations. There, they will present and discuss existing and future approaches to tackling one of the greatest challenges of our planet. 

1. Florian Hänsel, Florian is currently in the last year of his undergraduate studies of Biology at Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf, Germany. He is particularly interested in molecular biology, evolution and biodiversity and co-led his university’s iGEM-Team to a Gold-medal in the 2022 competition. As a Biodiversity Leadership Program Delegate passionate about Science Communication and Governance, he has been involved in several workshops and events for the iGEM Responsibility Program throughout the year and is also a member of the German Association for Synthetic Biology.

Quote before departure: The loss of biodiversity represents one of the greatest challenges of our time. We need to pave the way for new technologies by discussing the advancing opportunities of biotechnological applications and how to responsibly employ them in our world. I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to represent the iGEM community and our values at the COP15 in Montréal and am looking forward to fulfilling this role together with my fellow delegates.

1. Sofía Elena Goitia Favela, Sofia is a third year undergraduate student pursuing biotechnology engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico. In 2021 she participated in iGEM  as director of commercial management of team Tec-Monterrey , winning a gold medal and a special prize nomination. This year she co-lead her university´s team : Tec-Monterrey to win a gold medal in the IGEM competition. She was also part of IGEM´s Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program this year. Sofia is passionate about molecular biology, social entrepreneurship and international relations. In the near future, Sofia wishes to pursue an internship abroad in molecular biology.

Quote before departure: The continuous loss of biodiversity is a serious threat for our survival, our current actions will define the future of our planet. Although several strategies to understand and conserve biodiversity have already been adopted, urgent care is needed, and for that, international cooperation and use of modern technology is essential. I want to thank IGEM and its Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program for this opportunity in which I hope to keep learning about biodiversity and science diplomacy with the aim of contributing as a young scientist to science and biodiversity conservation.

1. Shreya Kulkarni, Shreya is an undergraduate in Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India. She is also part of biodiversity conservation groups and has completed a certificate course in Basic Ornithology. She is the team lead of iGEM IISER-Pune2_India 2022 Team.

Quote before departure: The multidisciplinary area of synthetic biology is fast developing and has attracted interest from all walks of life. It has the potential to bring in novel and creative solutions to urgent global problems like hunger, energy, and vector-borne diseases along with climate change, biodiversity loss, and conservation. I have had the opportunity to be a part of conservation groups and biodiversity organizations in India, and iGEM gave me a chance to explore SynBio. The potential of the SynBio toolbox is vast, and it can be one of the future directions to save many species from vanishing off the face of this planet. I am thrilled and thankful for this opportunity to attend COP15  and hope to contribute to this fantastic team of iGEM delegates!

1. Ivy Chimulwa, Ivy is a graduate student pursuing a Masters in Molecular Biology at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. She has a strong passion for virology, especially bacteriophages and their applications. She is also strongly involved in finding alternative ways to keep the world greener through the science of synthetic biology. She currently volunteers under various community building associations within Africa spreading the science of synthetic biology and bacteriophages and works as a Laboratory Technologist with a local NGO.

Quote before departure:  The time to act to keep our world “bluer” and “greener” is now and with the increase in the youth led initiatives, I am proud to be attending COP 15 as an iGEM Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program Fellow where I will be given the chance to learn about how beneficial my input as a young scientist will grant our earth more chances to live longer.

1. Diego Muñoz, Diego Muñoz Neira is a senior Bioengineering student at UTEC Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología in Lima, Peru. In 2021, he participated in iGEM Competition with the international team Open Science Global aka Friendzymes as Hardware and Fundraising co-leader, winning a gold medal.  This year, Diego was part of IGEM´s Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program.  Throughout his career he had the opportunity to work on engineering and biotechnology projects to face social and environmental problems. Currently, his work focuses on the development of hardware devices for Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology democratization.

Quote before departure:  Synthetic biology plays a fundamental role in the conservation of biodiversity. Its global impact must be linked to a legal regulation that can quickly adapt to technological change and manage the evaluation of a greater diversity of knowledge generated through biotechnological tools. I am very proud to represent iGEM and the Biodiversity Youth Leadership Program as a delegate at COP 15.  As young scientists and bioengineers from Latin America, we will have an important role in conserving our biodiversity.

1. Charlie Anderton, Charlie is a final year undergraduate in Natural Science, specialising in Plant Science, at the University of Cambridge. He was one of the team members that helped to relaunch iGEM at Cambridge for the 2022 competition, achieving a Gold medal and special prize nomination. He has interests spanning conservation, ecology, evolution and molecular biology, and is involved with biodiversity monitoring projects in Cambridge, and with the university botanic garden.

Quote before departure:  The biodiversity crisis is perhaps the biggest risk we are facing, and will face in my generation. It is vital we act now to create truly global solutions to preserve the world’s biodiversity for generations to come. These need to have worldwide consensus and support, and use all the tools we have in our arsenal to protect biodiversity, including synthetic biology, to ensure they can be both realistically implemented and as effective as possible. COP15 is a fantastic opportunity for these solutions to gain momentum, and it must not be wasted.

These six delegates will be representing the best of iGEM as they share stories about biodiversity conservation within the iGEM Competition, and also establish collaborative networks with other youth from different fields and regions. We wish them a safe journey and look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return!