Recommendations from a workshop hosted by VDI and BfN, coordinated by Florian and colleagues, outline how DNA metabarcoding can be standardized for official biodiversity monitoring. Researchers, authorities, and practitioners jointly identified key challenges across sampling, laboratory workflows, and data handling.

The resulting roadmap defines minimum technical requirements, highlights the need for harmonized terminology and robust reference databases, and proposes a structured quality management framework to support routine application in conservation and environmental protection.

It was a true pleasure to welcome our colleague Prof. Feilong Li to our group and discuss our ongoing work on multiple stressors in rivers, (e)DNA based biomonitoring methods, automation in Germany (University of Duisburg-Essen), China (Guangdong University of Technology and Nanjing University), Switzerland (University of Zurich and Eawag). We share many interests and lots of synergies exist to extend for the sake of our planet.

The LeeseLab celebrated the festive season by continuing its tradition of hosting a fun and convivial Christmas evening, featuring great food and a charity auction with items contributed by lab members.

Thanks to the enthusiastic participation of everyone involved, the auction raised over 1,000 euros, which will be donated to the Raum 58 charity. We thank all contributors for making this evening both enjoyable and impactful.

We had the pleasure of organising this years’ science slam given by the students of the biodiversity master program and it was a blast! 18 enthusiastic young scientists presented entertaining talks about their favourite topics. We learned about cat parasites, the magic mysteries of coral reefs, criminal butterflies and many more. We thank all students for their great talks and the centre for water and environmental research for sponsoring the event!