Halting genetic diversity loss, from local to international action and policy

Within-population genetic diversity underpins wild population resilience and in turn species and ecosystem resilience. The rapidly accelerating biodiversity crisis is motivating the use of both legacy and new datasets, from molecular data and ecological proxies, to inform genetic management and policy. In this Review, we synthesize examples of the integration of genetic principles across data, management and policy scales and illustrate how emerging strategies can halt the erosion of genetic diversity. Biodiversity conservation science increasingly invokes large, heterogeneous, aggregate datasets to identify eco-evolutionary processes that drive change as well as set priorities for policymakers and land managers. Deploying this knowledge to address issues that erode within-population genetic resilience is essential to biodiversity conservation. With careful appreciation of population genetic principles, all available data, from DNA-based studies to ecosystem monitoring, can be recruited towards comprehensive conservation genetics, supporting action across levels of governance. A critical mass of highly diverse datasets and knowledge types is increasingly contributing to legislation, policy and guidelines to monitor genetic processes in nature and, ultimately, protect the richness and resilience of biodiversity.