How do zoos and botanical gardens contribute to ex situ conservation?

Zoos and botanical gardens play a vital role in ex situ conservation by preserving species outside of their natural habitats, providing a "protective custody" for those at risk of extinction in the wild.12

Contributions of Zoos

Zoos act as essential breeding centers for endangered species, helping to stabilize and increase populations that have declined due to habitat loss, poaching, or other threats.34
* Captive Breeding: By managing small populations, zoos work to maintain genetic diversity and prevent inbreeding. Successful programs have saved species like the California condor, Przewalski’s horse, and European bison from extinction.134
* Reintroduction: Some zoos aim to restock the wild with captive-born animals, though this process requires overcoming significant challenges, such as teaching captive-reared individuals essential survival behaviors.31

Contributions of Botanical Gardens

Botanical gardens serve as scientific institutions that maintain living collections and genetic repositories to support restoration and research.5
* Genetic Preservation: Gardens maintain living stores of genetic diversity and often exchange seeds and pollen to preserve rare species.5
* Seed Banks: Facilities like the Millennium Seed Bank store billions of seeds to guard against extinction and provide resources for future restoration projects.51
* Research and Education: Through herbaria and research laboratories, these institutions conduct taxonomic and ecological studies that inform broader conservation strategies while educating the public on the importance of plant biodiversity.5