Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics

Our primary focus is on ecological applications such as species identification, individualisation, conservation and small population management.

Updated

20/06/24

Welcome to the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics (ACWG) at the Australian Museum.

The ACWG was founded by Professor Rebecca Johnson in 2012, who is the Chief Investigator of projects focussed on wildlife forensics, aviation wildlife strike and a range of conservation genomics projects including the koala genome.

This unit is comprised of NATA accredited (ISO/IEC 17025) DNA laboratories and biological tissue collection.

We support all molecular based research carried out by the Australian Museum Research Institute and offer DNA-based molecular diagnostic services to a wide variety of external partners.

Our primary focus is on ecological applications such as species identification, individualisation, conservation and small population management.

Our specialised DNA services

Wildlife forensics facilities at the Australian Museum

Projects focussed on wildlife forensics, aviation wildlife strike and a range of conservation genomics projects including the Koala Genome project.

Forensic protocols
Court statements
Expert witnesses

Aviation airstrike

Our Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics provides DNA identification services for wildlife strikes.

Wildlife strikes
DNA sampling
Aviation Industry

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Frozen Tissue collection

Our extensive collections are a valuable resource for the investigation of biodiversity, population genetics, phylogenetics and more.

Tissue samples of species
Contain DNA
DNA Lab

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Alex Summerell at Featherdale Wildlife Park

Captive and wild population management

The ACWG specialises in population genetics/genomics and provides a range of DNA based services that may be of use to wildlife managers and captive population managers.

Specialised DNA services

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Our scientific research

We support AMRI's molecular based research in areas such as conservation, biogeography, taxonomy, systematics and population genetics, to name a few. We also co-lead the Koala Genome Consortium.

Rebecca Johnson and Koala at Featherdale Wildlife Park

The Koala Genome

The koala – a treasured and quintessentially Australian species – is under threat from habitat loss, predator attack and disease, and there are concerns that its genetic diversity is decreasing and its population health is, as a result, in danger.

Australian Museum research project
Koala Genome Consortium

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Hawksbill Sea Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata, Susanne Spindlerr, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)

Australian Museum Research Institute and ShellBank

The Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) brings both collections-based research and wildlife forensic science expertise to the ShellBank project, a global marine turtle genetic database.

ShellBank project

A shingleback found in its natural environment in NSW prior to genetic sampling.

Catching Lizards to stop Lizard catchers: New genetic tools to prevent shingleback poaching

In a world first, PhD candidate Amber Brown with supervising scientists have developed and validated a fit-for-purpose mitochondrial DNA kit to identify shingleback DNA – and created one of the only phylogeographic genetic databases to track the genetic lineage of confiscated shingleback lizards.

20 October 2022

Future-proofing the koala: How museums can help protect an Australian icon

The most comprehensive genetic assessment of koala populations to date has provided fascinating insights into how the species responded to past climate change, and highlights the critical role of museums in supporting ongoing conservation efforts.

20 April 2022

PhD Candidate Amber O. Brown holding a Centralian blue tongue (Tiliqua multifasciata) prior to volatilome sampling.

What’s that smell? Protecting our wildlife using volatilomes

ACWG and UTS Centre for Forensic Science PhD candidate Amber Brown, and supervising scientists Dr. Greta Frankham, Dr. Maiken Ueland and Dr. Barbara Stuart, have completed a world-first study which optimised the collection and analysis of volatilomes from live reptiles.

10 August 2021

A Long-nosed bandicoot being released during a NPWS biannual monitoring survey on North Head

Living on the edge! Molecular insight into Sydney’s endangered bandicoot population

An endangered population of long-nosed bandicoots are inhabiting an iconic Sydney headland – and molecular insights show that they are surviving on the edge.

12 May 2021

Photograph of a pink cockatoo (Lophochroa leabeateri leadbeateri) at Mt. Hope, NSW. Photograph by Corey Callaghan.

New insights into the pink cockatoo, an outback Australian icon

Scientists have undertaken the first genetic assessment of the pink cockatoo, providing insights into how the species has evolved in the harsh inland regions of Australia and how we can conserve this Australian icon.

16 February 2021

Surrender Your Shell: Using DNA to protect the Hawksbill Turtle

Did you know that real tortoiseshell products are made from the shell of critically endangered Hawksbill turtles? This illegal trade has brought the species to the brink of extinction. To learn more, the Australian Museum, WWF-Australia and Royal Caribbean International launch Surrender Your Shell.

8 February 2021

Bridging the Gap: Using DNA from museum specimens to unlock the secrets of the Bass Strait Island Fauna

Did you know that there are over 50 islands in the Bass Strait, the 240 km stretch of ocean that separates mainland Australia and Tasmania? But what of its fauna? Scientists have recently extracted DNA from museum specimens to better understand the evolutionary history of Bass Strait island fauna.

25 November 2020

A red-tailed black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii macrorhynchus) coming down for a drink near Derby, northern Western Australia.

Hidden in plain sight: introducing the new subspecies of red-tailed black-cockatoo!

Scientists from AMRI, University of Sydney, University of Edinburgh and CSIRO conducted the first comprehensive genetic assessment of the red-tailed black-cockatoo across its entire distribution. The result is a new subspecies!

Echidnas in the illegal wildlife trade

We are now closer to investigating this trade thanks to the first steps in developing a forensic DNA toolbox to determine the source country of short beaked echidnas.

DNA
Echidnas
Illegal Wildlife Trade

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