The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) has announced major progress in its mission to build a globally distributed network of biodiversity biobanks, marking a crucial step toward its ambitious goal to biobank every endangered species by 2075.
Revealed at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, the initiative expands biobanking capabilities in Kenya, Vietnam, Hawai‘i, and Peru—regions rich in biodiversity but facing accelerating species decline. The effort aligns with SDZWA’s commitment to global conservation through science, technology, and collaboration.
“Advances in biotechnology and data science bring us new hope,” said Dr. Nadine Lamberski, Chief Conservation and Wildlife Health Officer at SDZWA. “We’re calling on global partners to join us in biobanking the planet’s endangered species before it’s too late.”
The announcement also coincides with the 50th anniversary of SDZWA’s pioneering Frozen Zoo®, the world’s largest repository of living wildlife material. The organization recently hosted the inaugural Frozen Zoo Symposium, uniting experts from 15 countries to exchange biobanking knowledge and train new conservation scientists.
Each regional hub focuses on network building, knowledge exchange, and resource sharing to develop equitable biobanking infrastructure. From Kenya’s upcoming biobank headquarters to Vietnam’s wildlife policy reform and Hawai‘i’s cryogenic training programs, the project demonstrates how technology can serve as a critical tool for sustainability and ecological preservation.
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