SAN DIEGO (Oct. 11, 2025) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has for the first time unveiled milestone progress in its effort to facilitate the development of a network of globally distributed biobanks. Announced today at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is on a mission to protect the future of our planet’s biodiversity by helping grow biobanking capacity worldwide—starting with pilot sites in four biodiversity hotspots: Kenya, Vietnam, Hawai‘i, and Peru. The non-profit organization has called on conservation champions, organizations, and global partners to join in its ambitious and urgent initiative that cannot be done alone: to biobank every endangered species by 2075.
“Advances in science and technology bring us hope and these innovations have brought us here today. We have a call to action – to biobank all endangered species worldwide by 2075,” Dr. Nadine Lamberski, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s chief conservation and wildlife health officer, said at a press conference. “And we can’t do this alone. Our delegation has one clear message: join us in this commitment. Together, we can drive a movement to save wildlife and the ecosystems we depend on, and raise awareness about the critical tool we can use to accomplish this: biodiversity biobanking.”
As a proud partner of the IUCN Species Survival Commission as a Center for Species Survival focused on biodiversity banking, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is working collaboratively to advance biobanking initiatives and drive global progress in safeguarding biodiversity. To reach its goal, the non-profit organization is doing its part by ensuring other conservationists around the world are equitably equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to develop biobanking programs in-country. Each location has different needs, and varying degrees of existing infrastructure that can support biobanking. Calling on its decades of experience, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is supporting each area accordingly with a tailored combination of the following:
- Network building and organization
- Knowledge exchange and training
- Physical resources and facilities
This announcement marks the 50th anniversary of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s groundbreaking Frozen Zoo®—a pioneering biobank that has safeguarded the viable genetic material of endangered species for half a century. Established in 1975, the Frozen Zoo holds the most extensive repository of living wildlife materials on Earth. From its inception, this collection was designed as a resource for the entire world, and it continues to serve the global community today.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance recently held its inaugural Frozen Zoo Symposium which welcomed global partners in person and virtually, broadcasting to 15 countries. The event included a cell culture training workshop that hosted participants from six countries, providing more inclusive access to biobanking knowledge and training.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) and partners have made significant headway in the establishment of four pilot sites for biobanking. Milestones in each region so far include:
- Kenya—SDZWA is working in close collaboration with the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) and Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) to establish a biobanking network in the region, further linking rangers, veterinarians and scientists who support some of the world’s most iconic wildlife. The construction of a biobank headquarters is in planning stages, but collection and repository capabilities are near.
- Vietnam—SDZWA is partnering with Institute for Ecology and Conservation of Nature at Vinh University to build upon existing infrastructure by supplying training and personnel support. Representatives from Vietnam joined experts in San Diego for a biobanking symposium and workshop hosted by SDZWA as a first step toward establishing capacity for living cell biobanking. Partners in Vietnam are working toward a wildlife-specific biobanking amendment to an existing government decree, and to establish a collaborative network that would facilitate biobanking throughout the country.
- Hawai‘i—SDZWA is collaborating with Bishop Museum on enhancing capacity and training personnel for living cell biobanking at the Museum’s existing cryogenic facility at its Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity. SDZWA’s Conservation Genetics team recently received a grant from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to expand technical knowledge and on-island capacity for biobanking Hawaiian birds, some of the rarest birds on the planet.
- Peru—Peru’s Ministry of the Environment, with support from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, has initiated the process of creating a national biobanking network.
“The world has reached a pivotal moment. Nature is in crisis. The loss of biodiversity is occurring at a speed and scale that is outpacing our ability to get out in front and halt the decline of species. The health of wildlife, people, and the ecosystems we depend on are at risk,” Lamberski emphasized. “We must take bold steps to save the health of our planet.”
About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a nonprofit conservation leader, inspires passion for nature and collaboration for a healthier world. The Alliance supports innovative conservation science through global partnerships and groundbreaking efforts at the world-famous San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, both leading zoological institutions and accredited botanical gardens. Through wildlife care expertise, cutting-edge science and continued collaboration, more than 44 endangered species have been reintroduced to native habitats. The Alliance reaches over 1 billion people annually through its two conservation parks and media channels in 170 countries, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television, available in children’s hospitals across 14 countries. Wildlife Allies—members, donors and guests—make success possible.
About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Frozen Zoo® The Frozen Zoo® is the world’s first large-scale cryogenic biological bank dedicated to preserving living cells and reproductive material from wildlife—and remains the largest, most diverse collection of its kind. Founded in 1975 by Kurt Benirschke, M.D., the Frozen Zoo today holds cell lines from more than 11,500 individuals representing more than 1,300 species. Stored in liquid nitrogen at minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit, the collection includes cells, embryos and gametes from mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and plants. The Frozen Zoo is one of six unique San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance biobanking collections that make up its Wildlife Biodiversity Bank. Together these collections offer a variety of approaches to preserving biodiversity. Learn more at sdzwa.org/frozen-zoo.
