Summary of A Network of Biobanking for Conservation – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Stories:
In December 2023, the United States celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. Despite progress, significant work remains to maintain biodiversity, which is critical for the health of wildlife, humans, and ecosystems. A steep decline in wildlife populations by an average of 69% since 1970 highlights a global extinction crisis, and the loss of genetic diversity threatens species’ adaptability.
Biodiversity banking or biobanking is a conservation tool involving preserving biological materials like cells and seeds. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Dr. Oliver Ryder, as co-chair of the Animal Biobanking for Conservation Specialist Group (ABC SG), champions a global biobanking network for conservation. The ABC SG, a component of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, aims to create a worldwide system to collect, bank, and share genetic resources vital for conservation.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Frozen Zoo® holds over 11,000 viable cell lines, representing a significant resource for global conservation efforts. The first step for ABC SG involves a “horizon scan” to inventory existing biobanks and the species they cover. There’s a need to identify gaps in the biobanking landscape and ensure the inclusion of diverse stakeholders, aligning with the principles of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
With members from 22 institutions across over 14 countries, the ABC SG seeks more collaboration. The urgency of today’s conservation efforts, including collecting viable materials, is crucial for future biodiversity protection.
– The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Frozen Zoo® is leading the way in biobanking, a critical tool for conservation.
– As part of the Animal Biobanking for Conservation Specialist Group (ABC SG), the Alliance is working internationally to collect and preserve genetic materials from threatened species.
– These efforts coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act and respond to the alarming decline of wildlife populations since 1970.
– Biobanking is vital for understanding species’ genetics, aiding conservation strategies, and possibly rescuing endangered species from extinction.
Imagine a world where saving lives doesn’t just mean treating the ill but preventing the loss of life before it begins. In the vast realm of wildlife conservation, scientists and conservators are doing just that by safeguarding the very essence of life: genetic material. It’s like a futuristic vault, preserving not gold or silver but the blueprints of life that could hold the key to saving species teetering on the brink of extinction.
A beacon of hope in this pioneering field is the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Frozen Zoo®, part of a larger tale of enduring commitment to protecting global biodiversity. It’s easy to envision a futuristic archive, a Noah’s Ark of the microscopic, preserving cell lines and genetic material. But this is more than a vision; it’s a reality that surpasses the fictional Pharmacopoeia of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.” More than 11,000 viable cell lines are banked here, constituting the most comprehensive collection of its kind anywhere on the planet.
So, what do these cell lines mean for the vast tapestry of life that clings tenuously to the spinning orb we call Earth? They are nothing less than the chronicles of genetic diversity, scripts filled with characters and narratives that, when read properly, can help us understand, protect, and even restore species that might otherwise fade away into the endless night of extinction.
Biobanking is not just about storing what is but about ensuring what could be. It operates under the principle that within the frozen cells lies the poetry of genetic variation – the raw material for adaptation and survival in a world that’s ever-changing, often in ways that challenge the tenacity of even the most resilient species.
As the Frozen Zoo® stands emblematic of what’s possible, there is a throbbing pulse of activity behind the scenes catalyzed by a network of dedicated individuals and organizations. The newly minted Animal Biobanking for Conservation Specialist Group (ABC SG), operating under the prestigious banner of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), represents a collaboration of minds and missions to preserve the living library of life on Earth.
Under the co-chairmanship of Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., and Boripat Siriaroonrat, DVM, the ABC SG embarks on a “horizon scan,” their vocabulary for a comprehensive survey set to take stock of global biobanking efforts. This information is the bedrock upon which a coordinated international system can be built. It aims to pinpoint where viable genetic material from the plethora of species has been stored and how this can support future conservation action.
Imagine a world where the genetic heritage of all life is valued, cataloged, and conserved, as meticulously arranged as books in a library. That world may not be far off. Zoos and aquariums, often the sanctuaries for those species that have no place left to roam freely, have a unique role to play. They are critical starting points for this cataloging, often hosting about 15 percent of threatened terrestrial vertebrates on the IUCN Red List.
However, there is a realization that preserving biodiversity cannot be confined to a select few. Conservation must be democratized, and the ABC SG is equally committed to ensuring that the resources and benefits of biobanking are equitably shared. In this, there is an acknowledgment of the sovereign rights of indigenous tribes and local communities, whose lands often cradle the very biodiversity the group seeks to protect.
Now, enter this global arena where twenty-two institutions from over fourteen countries have united under the ABC SG banner. Their goal is to slow the bleeding of biodiversity loss and reverse it.
What does the future hold? It’s a great unfolding tale where cutting-edge science meets impassioned conservation. With each cell banked, scientists glean invaluable insights—understanding extinction risks, informing management strategies, and potentially pulling species back from the precipice.
Information is the currency of conservation, and biobanking is both the mint and the reserve. Imagine that within the sub-zero chambers of the Frozen Zoo® and its counterparts worldwide, the very essence of nature’s wonder is kept in a state of suspended animation – not lifeless, but full of potential.
The excitement is palpable. As the network of conservation biobanks grows, the arc of biodiversity’s decline could be arrested and, in time, even reversed. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a participant and pioneer in this daring endeavor. Their efforts, synonymous with the mission of the ABC SG, are grounded in an ethos that recognizes the profound connection between all life forms and the imperative to safeguard the natural world.
Indeed, the beauty that lies in the idea of a conservation biobank transcends mere storage. It’s about continuity, ensuring that the rich tapestry of our planet’s life forms persists, not as a memory or entry in an encyclopedia of the lost, but as vibrant, living organisms that continue to fulfill their roles in the web of existence. It’s a future where the stories of life are preserved, not just told.
In closing this thought, it’s not just the wildlife being saved. It is us, too. After all, the health of wildlife, humans, ecosystems, and our whole planet is intertwined. The repository of genetic material that the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and its global partners are amassing is not just for the animals; it is an investment in our collective future, a compendium of hope written in the language of DNA. It’s a hopeful narrative of survival, adaptation, and enduring life – and it’s a story in which all of us, knowingly or not, play a part.
