The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has established the Microbial Conservation Specialist Group to protect microbial biodiversity, described as the 'invisible 99% of life'. Led by Professor Jack Gilbert, the initiative aims to integrate microbes into global conservation efforts. This marks the first coordinated plan to safeguard these essential organisms.
In July 2025, the IUCN formally created the Microbial Conservation Specialist Group (MCSG) within its Species Survival Commission. The group is co-chaired by Professor Jack Gilbert, President of Applied Microbiology International, and Raquel Peixoto from KAUST and ISME. This followed a May 2025 workshop led by Professor Gilbert, which gathered conservation specialists and microbiologists to adapt traditional conservation goals to microbial processes.
"This is the first global coalition dedicated to safeguarding microbial biodiversity, which is the 'invisible 99% of life', to ensure that microbes are recognized as essential to the planet's ecological, climate, and health systems," Professor Gilbert said. He emphasized that this effort reframes conservation from individual species to preserving microbial networks that support visible life, marking a paradigm shift toward planetary health.
Microbes underpin soil fertility, carbon cycling, marine productivity, and the health of plants and animals, yet they are rarely included in conservation policies. Professor Gilbert noted that overlooking microbial diversity undermines climate resilience, food security, and ecosystem restoration. The MCSG addresses this by embedding microbiology into IUCN's tools, such as Red List criteria and restoration programs.
Over two years, founding members from more than 30 countries, including microbiologists, ecologists, legal experts, and Indigenous knowledge holders, developed a microbial conservation roadmap. It outlines five core components of the IUCN Species Conservation Cycle: assessment with Red List-compatible metrics for microbial communities; planning ethical and economic frameworks; action through pilot projects like coral probiotics and soil carbon microbiomes; networking scientists and custodians; and communication via campaigns like 'Invisible but Indispensable'.
Early efforts, funded by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation with support from AMI and ISME, focus on mapping microbial hotspots and linking biobanks. Challenges include defining microbial species, integrating genomic data, and addressing taxonomic instability. Upcoming goals include a Microbial Red List by 2027, global hotspot maps, and incorporating microbes into UN biodiversity targets by 2030.
The initiative was detailed in a paper published on November 20, 2025, in Sustainable Microbiology.