Strategic Gene Banking for Conservation:

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1 Strategic Gene Banking for Conservation: The Ins and Outs of a Living Bank - prioritisation, viable populations and continual access Dr Rebecca Spindler

2 Opportunistic Sampling Reliable access to material Many individuals Good genetic diversity

3 Strategic Gene Banking Goal Oriented Timely Prioritised Dynamic and Relevant Augmentation and Use Supported by Science, Politics, Society

4 Knowing the Goals for Your Bank Purpose: Focus [Impact on Success] Bank as many species as possible Develop a research resource Generate viable offspring Conserve species in the wild

5 Bio-Banking for Conservation Wildlife is in crisis 6 th Mass Extinction Event Species declining more rapidly than ever before Business as usual is no longer an option Business as usual is not working

6 Australia State of the Environment Report 2012 High natural diversity and endemism Productive systems Threatened species rose from 332 in 2000 to 432 in 2010 Prognosis for less than 10% is neutral or positive How do we make that 10% count?

7 Prioritisation Making the 10% Count Default Prioritisation: Based on emotional connections - primates or charismatic megafauna

8 Prioritisation Making the 10% Count ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST Most Common Prioritisation Criterion Globally - How Many? Level of threat the more endangered it is and the greater priority. This results in action not being resourced until the species is at significant threat, and therefore requiring a significantly large amount of resources to be poured into its conservation.

9 Prioritisation Making the 10% Count ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST Most Common Prioritisation Criterion Globally - Based on How Many? Conservation Funding Abundance Threat Imminent Threat High Impact Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable Near Threatened Of Least Concern Imminent Threat Medium Impact Above Normal Pressures No foreseeable Threat

10 COST BENEFIT RATIO Prioritisation Making the 10% Count Recent Prioritisation Criterion Globally: How Much? Unit of Cost per Action. The benefit in terms of number of populations maintained or improved, multiplied by the probability of success, divided by the cost, or: Scope of benefit x Probability of success Cost This makes sense at first glance as the greatest number of projects can be performed. What if none of these populations add function or resilience to the ecosystem?

11 Prioritisation Making the 10% Count We need to start looking at the species we are prioritising, to avoid ending up with lots of projects on easy to fix, generalist species that are unlikely to do anything very specific for the ecosystem, just because they cost less to manage.

12 Prioritisation Keystone Species Predator Scavenger Pollinator Consumer Producer Habitat structure

13 Prioritisation Keystone Species (I x R) = Importance I = Ecological role + cultural role + economic role (1 = low importance, 5 = ecosystem driver) R = Functional redundancy (1 = multiple redundancies, 5 = unique in filling niche)

14 Prioritisation Urgency Conservation Focus Importance Threat Unique Ecosystem Driver Ecosystem Driver with Redundancy Important Biomass Minor/ Redundant Role No Known Role Imminent Threat High Impact Action Required Action Required Action Required Watching Brief Imminent Threat Medium Impact Above Normal Pressures Action Required Action Required Action Required Watching Brief Watching Brief No foreseeable Threat Action Required

15 Prioritisation Actions Does the species maintain function or add resilience? (scavenger or seed disperser etc) Yes Is this role unique/ nearly unique to this species? Yes Is there a foreseeable threat? Yes Habitat Destruction No No Monitor large scale threats to ecosystem health No Monitor population health, potential threats and habitat health Invasive Species Human Wildlife Conflict Climate Change Threat mitigation and Gene Banking Is the species culturally or economically important? Disease No No Management Action Warranted Action focussed on species monitoring and habitat health engage community in umbrella actions Low/Numbers/ Inbreeding Gene Banking

16 Viable Populations Minimum Population Size Access to genetic diversity Access to samples for all uses

17 Dynamic Bank - Continual Augmentation - Viable and Relevant - Accelerated Evolution collection

18 Viable Habitats Minimum Required Area Threats mitigated Proactive solutions for emerging threats

19 Dynamic Bank - Multiple Use - Population insurance - Short term restoration /augmentation - Research resource

20 Dynamic Bank - Multiple Use Benefits - Viable and Relevant - Generate new partnerships - Better fit with ongoing conservation actions - Measure success against goals - Ready to Rock n Roll Needs - Foresight - Use agreements - Strategy with Milestones

21 Strategic Banking - Examples Tasmanian Devil Ecosystem driver in Tasmania - Scavenger, pest control Devil Facial Tumour Disease - 90% loss of populations - EEJ not successful - Epididymal sperm frozen - Knowledge gained - Strategic bank not established

22 Strategic Banking - Examples Reef Recovery Initiative Reef building coral species -$6 billion in ecosystem services Disease, dredging, climate change Cryo of sperm and embryo cells Live corals from frozen sperm Development of methods for stem cell culture Insurance, kamikaze restoration, research Accelerated evolution

23 Strategic Banking - Examples Kimberley Ark Project Goanna species, Quoll - Top order predators Cane toad invasion imminent - Up to 96% of population loss predicted - Population genetics available to choose candidates - First collection of sperm from goanna - Storage techniques established - Field techniques developed - Cryopreservation - Constant genetic communication - Accelerated evolution

24 Forming a National Repository Call for action to consider a National Gene Banking Strategy A National, virtually linked Biorepository extending and consolidating the existing network of seed, cell and tissue banks. National bank might include frozen/live material from species important to agriculture and domestic species management. A home to sustain Australia s critical biodiversity.