Conservation genomics of Arctic charr

Genetic diversity is fundamental to the adaptive potential and ultimate survival of species. Although its importance has long been recognized in science, it has a history of neglect within policy – until now. A framework in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), adopted in December 2022, states that genetic diversity must be maintained at levels assuring adaptive potential and includes metrics for systematic monitoring for genetic diversity in so called indicators. Here, we apply these indicators to one of the northernmost salmonid fishes, the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). We use whole-genome sequence data to monitor genetic diversity in three landlocked populations inhabiting protected alpine lakes in central Sweden over four decades (c. 5-6 generations).