From petri dishes to politics – a multi-pronged approach is essential for saving endangered species

As many species spiral toward extinction, the spotlight shines bright on scientists and assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) as the last hope for a few. Although it can be a powerful conservation tool, ART alone is not enough to save species from extinction. Since the 1970s, the potential role of ART in species conservation has been touted by a small but ever-increasing cohort of reproductive scientists committed to their cause. The rapid advancement of ARTs, embraced and incorporated into the human fertility field and livestock industries, emboldened convictions that the same technologies would figure prominently in endangered species breeding programs. Approximately 40 years later, endangered species’ ARTs are in greater demand as populations shrink, genetic diversity is lost and breeding programs falter. In a few cases, ART now represents the only viable strategy for potentially saving genes from certain imperiled individuals or populations like the Northern white rhino sub-species1. However, the development of ARTs for wildlife species has not lived up to early expectations2. There are isolated reports of progress employing high-tech procedures like cloning, but in almost all cases, they result in lost pregnancies and/or neonatal mortalities, efficiency is extremely low and overall conservation value questionable3. In contrast, a plethora of studies have demonstrated that artificial insemination (AI), one of the simplest ARTs, can produce offspring in nearly 60 different exotic mammals and fertile eggs in over 35 non-domestic birds4. Regardless, routine use of ARTs in wildlife management remains rare. To date, AI has proven truly beneficial to the genetic management and breeding programs of just three endangered mammals: the giant panda, black-footed ferret, and Asian elephant, though it is peripherally employed to assist managing a handful of other threatened and endangered species. Given the potential power of ART as a conservation tool, it is worth examining why it is not well-established or embraced by those striving to conserve endangered species, the promise it holds and its inherent limitations.