KAUST Participates in Establishing First Global Body to Protect Microorganisms

     Jeddah, September 17, 2025, SPA -- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) co-founded the first official global body dedicated to protecting one of the smallest yet most vital life forms on Earth, microorganisms.
   The new group, operating under the umbrella of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), will be co-led by KAUST professor Raquel Peixoto and Jack Gilbert of the University of California, San Diego. Its formation was officially announced on September 12 in the journal Nature Microbiology.
   Professor Peixoto explained that the Microbial Conservation Specialist Group (MCSG) will serve as a global convener for the conservation of microbial diversity, studying the impact of environmental disturbances and the potential extinction of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses that are essential to ecosystems and human health.  She highlighted that this includes beneficial bacteria in coral-reef microbiomes or key microbes in the human gut threatened by industrialized lifestyles.
   She added that the initiative marks a fundamental step toward safeguarding life on the planet by bridging microbiology with conservation.  This, she said, will help unlock nature’s hidden potential and develop strategies to protect organisms and ecosystems under unprecedented pressure.
   -- SPA