Abstract
Coral bleaching contributes to widespread reef loss globally, including Australia’s World Heritage site, the Great Barrier Reef. Synthetic biology offers the potential to isolate and cultivate strains of coral that can naturally withstand higher sea surface temperatures associated with climate change. A national survey was conducted (N = 1,148 Australians) measuring psychological predictors of support for a synthetic biology conservation solution to coral loss. The analysis showed a partially mediated path model was useful in explaining a significant amount of variance in public support for the development of genetically engineered coral for conservation (R2 = 0.40) and in willingness to visit parts of the Great Barrier Reef where genetically engineered coral had (hypothetically) been introduced (R2 = 0.24). Participants were moderately strongly supportive of technology development and were most keen to implement genetically engineered coral with between 50 and 70% of reef remaining intact; recent estimates of coral cover across the Great Barrier Reef are well below that already. There was a negative association between perceived risks of genetically engineered coral and public support; however, perceived benefit of genetically engineered coral in protecting the reef and relative advantage of a synthetic biology solution over existing protection strategies were the most influential predictors of public support. The findings suggest that the general public are not averse to the development of a synthetic biology solution for restoring the reef, and they may be especially influenced by whether the synthetic biology solution is shown to be efficacious, particularly in comparison to other conservation solutions. However, support for a synthetic biology intervention is conditional and many participants expressed concerns about possible long-term impacts on humans, animals, and the environment as a result of deploying engineered coral.
Highlights
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a complex ecosystem that is home to a plethora of sea flora and fauna, including hundreds of species of coral
The present study examines public perceptions toward the genetic engineering of coral, using synthetic biology to combat the effects of rising sea temperatures on these organisms
Descriptive analyses and correlations between factors were calculated to evaluate participants’ level of perceived threat, associated perceptions of a synthetic biology solution in addressing the threat, and intentions to support the development of a genetic solution for coral degradation
Summary
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a complex ecosystem that is home to a plethora of sea flora and fauna, including hundreds of species of coral. The GBR has experienced, and continues to experience, widespread pressures including rising sea surface temperatures, crown-of-thorns starfish predation, land run-off and cyclone damage (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, 2019). The development of heat tolerant corals is one restoration approach, amongst a range of prevention and restoration options (Bay et al, 2019); the appeal of this genebased solution is its potential to scale-up and positively influence marine habitat sustainability. While current advances in thermal-tolerant corals involves selective breeding approaches, application of a genetic solution at scale will require more novel methods such as synthetic biology. The synthetic biology technology identifies natural gene variants in existing coral that enhance their ability to withstand higher temperatures and introduces these into other coral species that are not as heat resistant (Bay et al, 2019)
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