No, because environmental DNA studies only require a sample of the environment (ie, water, soil, sediment, air, etc.), not requiring the application for fishing permits, specimen collection, or slaughter permits of organisms. The use of environmental DNA minimizes the impacts of traditional tools on obtaining or sacrificing organisms for biodiversity monitoring. 

Very low or null, since environmental DNA studies are based on the recognition of genetic sequences that are unique to the species, therefore, their identification is practically unequivocal. In some cases, when it is not possible to reach the species level, either due to similarity within a group of organisms, due to the recovery of a very small fragment, or due to the non-availability of the record in the database, then the analysis ensured a higher level of identification (eg, gender, family, etc). 

The entire laboratory analysis process takes approximately 30-35 days until the final delivery of the results, which includes the «raw» report or a final report that analyzes, graphs and tabulates the results, accompanied by statistical analysis and suggestions/considerations/conclusions if applicable according to the type of service. 

At ECOGEN we use a solution that allows us to maintain and preserve water samples at room temperature or in a conventional refrigerator (4°C) for several weeks, or in the case of soil samples, keep them frozen (-20°C), therefore , from the collection of samples to their subsequent analysis, there is sufficient time for their transfer and analysis in order not to damage their genetic content. 

Environmental DNA methodologies have been validated in various parts of the world, and have been adopted within environmental regulations in countries such as Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and the USA. We hope to follow the example of these more developed countries and aim to validate this type of methodology within our environmental regulations.