The Milan Statement on Environmental DNA was adopted and signed by participants at the International Workshop on Environmental Genomics in Milan, Italy, 7-8 July 2026. It is a declaration of support for broader adoption of eDNA-based tools for biodiversity monitoring applications in management, decision-making, and regulatory compliance, based on recognition of the maturity and reliability of those tools for appropriate end-uses and the conviction that it is no longer fitting to treat eDNA methods generally as either novel or experimental. The Statement is also a non-binding call for relevant actors in industry, natural resource management, and environmental policy and regulation to more widely incorporate eDNA methods into their formal monitoring toolkits, as we believe these methods are critically important for confronting the pressing environmental protection needs facing us.
We now invite the global eDNA community to endorse the Milan Statement by signing below. If you work in the field of eDNA or biodiversity monitoring and agree with the sentiments expressed in the Statement, please join us in recognizing the clear value of eDNA methods and encouraging their broader adoption. Please also feel free to share the Statement with colleagues.