A molecular journey in conservation genetics

Abstract Genetics, and more recently genomics, has become an integral part of conservation science. From the early days of DNA fingerprinting through development of hybridisation based and polymerase chain reaction based markers, to applications of genomics, genetics has provided many insights to improve management of plants, animals and their ecosystems. I share my journey of discovery in genetics and genomics, and their application in conservation of plants through understanding evolutionary history, population genetics of rare and threatened species, molecular taxonomy, fragmentation and the role of pollen dispersal, restoration in a risk management context, and adaptation to climate change.