By Dr. Li Lian Wong
Aquaculture stimulates the economies in the Asia-Pacific region as it is one of the fastest-growing food production sectors essential for the food security and livelihood of countless coastal and rural communities (Thilsted 2016; FAO 2024). This sector, however, is increasingly challenged by climate change, disease outbreaks, environmental degradation, and social inequalities that inevitably affect small to medium scale farmers (Barange 2018). Over-dependence on wild-caught seeds for some species also puts pressure on the natural populations (Ottolenghi 2004). Therefore, the need for a new approach which works with nature rather than against it is of utmost importance.
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly recognized as practices associated with integrated farming systems, ecosystem restoration and green infrastructure. Genetic improvement provides a biological basis for a sustainable and resilient aquaculture by selecting the traits that enhance the adaptability of a cultured species faced with a changing environment (Gjedrem 2012; Gjedrem 2014; Nguyen 2016). Although genetic improvement and NbS may appear to be contradictory concepts, they represent two facets of the same entity, with the former being an underutilized but highly effective NbS approach.
Genetic Improvement: Working With Nature, Not Against It
NbS highlights the superior benefits of leveraging ecological processes compared to involving energy-demanding infrastructure or chemical utilization. Genetic improvement programs are closely aligned with the NbS notion as they amplify the pre-existing inherent resilience of cultivated species and thus allow them to thrive within current ecosystems. Selective breeding accelerates natural selection and encapsulates the core principle of NbS by integrating natural processes, allowing aquatic species to physiologically adapt to climate and environmental variability through increased disease resistance and stress tolerance (Kashyap 2024; Nguyen 2024). This is particularly critical for the aquaculture industry in the Asia-Pacific region, where crustacean and finfish species are often raised under significantly fluctuating environmental conditions (Sriskanthan 2011; Virapat 2023).
Reducing Environmental Footprints Through Biological Efficiency
Environmental degradation remains a major challenge for the aquaculture sector within this region, specifically in densely farmed coastal zones and inland water bodies. The development of Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) strains for commercially important species, such as the Pacific White Shrimp, is a profound achievement of genetic improvement programs. Disease tolerant strains substantially reduce mass mortality caused by disease outbreaks, minimize the reliance on antibiotics and disinfectants, and mitigate the risks of antimicrobial resistance pollution (Cabello 2016; Alday-Sanz 2018). Genetically improved strains also boost feed conversion efficiency and accelerate growth. These, in turn, minimize feed waste and nutrient runoff, resulting in a decrease of eutrophication processes (De Verdal 2018; Kause 2022).
Building Climate Resilience and Ecosystem Stability
Genetic improvement promotes local adaptability and climate resilience and thus enhances tolerance to rapid fluctuations in essential water quality parameters (Houston 2020). Genetic improvement programs ensure that locally adapted strains exhibit greater consistency at thriving under specific environmental stress conditions, resulting in a stable aquaculture productivity (Nguyen 2016). Indeed, strains with enhanced innate resilience do not require chemical interventions and thus conserve ecosystem biodiversity. Furthermore, genetically improved strains, particularly those aligned with ecosystem-based approaches such as Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) and polyculture, may improve nutrient cycling, water quality, and overall ecosystem efficiency (Buck 2018; Pawar 2020).
NbS prioritizes the integration of diverse aquaculture practices. In Cambodia, the cultivation of high-valued giant river prawn has been significantly increased in rice-fish systems (Anyango 2026). These integrated systems are a quintessential NbS, in that they reduce the need for chemical fertilizers through the utilization of bio-fertilizers produced by fish excretion. In fact, small indigenous species such as punti (Puntius sarana) and mola (Amblypharyngodon mola) are being incorporated into polyculture systems with carp in India, thus turning simple fish ponds into multi-functional nutrition-sensitive ecosystems (Dubey 2024).
Protecting Wild Stocks and Biodiversity, as well as Restoring Endangered Species
Aquaculture in many parts of the Asia-Pacific region still depends heavily on wild broodstock or seeds. This practice substantially degrades natural ecosystems and depletes indigenous populations. Selective breeding and domestication via genetic improvement programs reduce the reliance on wild resources and foster biodiversity conservation (Houston 2020). Genetic improvement facilitates the integration of resilient strains within natural ecological processes, promotes closed life-cycle production and hence advances a primary objective of NbS (Diana 2013; Yang 2025). While reducing the effects of inbreeding depression, genetic diversity maintenance also ensures the long-term adaptability of the domesticated species (Ponzoni 2011; Lind 2012).
The Way Forward: Leveraging Genetic Improvement for an Integrated and Inclusive Aquaculture
Small-medium scale farmers possess limited capacity to absorb the massive losses caused by major disasters such as extreme weather events and disease outbreaks. Genetically improved resilient species substantially reduce production risks and stabilize yields for sustainable aquaculture value chains (Nguyen 2016; FAO 2022). Rather than replacing nature, genetic improvement programs equip the key players, notably the farmers and the cultivated species, with the tools and with the traits necessary to thrive in volatile ecosystems.
Conclusion
In summary, the multifaceted functions of genetic improvement programs include enhancement of species’ biological resilience, reduction of environmental impacts, biodiversity conservation and promotion of inclusive livelihoods. To maximize their NbS credentials, genetic improvement programs in the Asia-Pacific region must be equipped with greater sustainable frameworks such as ecosystem-based management, strong biosecurity management, consistent biomonitoring and equitable access to genetically improved resources. Whilst avoiding to broaden existing inequalities, regional collaboration, monetary investment and capacity building should be implemented to ensure that the genetic gains benefit small-medium scale farmers.
As policymakers and development partners increasingly prioritize the concepts of both NbS and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), integration of genetic improvement programs into aquaculture strategies offers a practical and scalable method to foster resilient, equitable, and sustainable aquatic food systems for all.
In effect, establishing ecologically restorative and socially inclusive food production systems requires the incorporation of genetically improved strains into NbS-oriented aquaculture systems.
AQUADAPT 