The Biodiversity biobanks of South Africa

Biodiversity biobanks can be defined as collections of biological materials, preserved and managed according to rigorous scientific standards to ensure the viability and quality of the materials, and include collections of seeds, microbial and cell cultures, tissues, DNA and environmental samples that are generally stored at ultralow temperatures. The value of biodiversity biobanks as critical research infrastructure has been acknowledged globally, but there is generally a lack of awareness of the role of biobanks more broadly than threatened species, crop and livestock breeding programmes. The Global Biodiversity Framework provides a valuable context for understanding and promoting biodiversity biobanks more broadly, as well as for the strategic direction for future expansion and priority actions. South Africa is one of the 17 megadiverse countries and has several well-established biodiversity biobanks, with over two million accessions. The main objective of this paper was to assess the current status in terms of ensuring that the biobanks make a meaningful contribution to achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework targets. Currently, indigenous plant DNA, environmental samples and invertebrates are significant gaps in the South African biobank network, but there are some promising initiatives to address these. While most of the existing biobanks offer material to external users, access policies and sample information are not yet openly accessible and the development of workflows and standards documents is at various stages of completion. Resourcing, capacity and permits are major challenges confronting the biobanks.