The IOGP Environmental Genomics Joint Industry Programme (JIP 34) was launched in June 2019 to coordinate research aimed at exploring the application of eDNA-based analyses in environmental assessments and monitoring of oil and gas offshore and onshore operations.

• Oil and gas companies undertake a variety of ecological assessments aimed at characterizing and monitoring the environments in which they operate.
• Available conventional approaches for ecological assessment, such as direct sampling and visual/acoustic observation, tend to be more time consuming, expensive, and yield less comprehensive data.
• Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to detect organisms and estimate biodiversity. This method can help to reduce field time, sampling cost, and be less invasive while often significantly improving bolstering the information found by the assessments.

Goals: Develop and advance environmental genomics technologies for oil and gas applications and promote their understanding.