Banking on zoos for conservation?

The global decrease in the number and variety of plant and animal species, commonly described as a biodiversity crisis, is one of the most pressing contemporary social and political issues. To address this issue, social and political institutions have developed a wide range of national, European and global initiatives and agreements for the conservation of endangered species. Among them, zoos and aquaria, which already house various endangered species, have positioned themselves as potential contributors. One important effort in this regard is the establishment of a biobank, a repository of blood and tissue samples from various animal species in European zoos. This biobank is operated by the European zoo network EAZA and located in four different so-called hubs. The EAZA Biobank thereby builds a network where zoo conservation efforts crystallize, which at the same time raises the question how such a sample collection can and should contribute to species conservation. A social science project at the University of Klagenfurt aims to answer this question by studying three layers of work within and around the EAZA Biobank. The first layer concerns the collection and processing of samples in individual zoos and the biobank hubs. Second, the project group will study how this network relates to wider conservation programs and initiatives at European zoos and aquaria. Third, the activities within and around the biobank are examined in relation to broader European and global regulations and strategies regarding the protection of endangered species. Central aim of the project is thereby to understand how biobanking activities engage with the complexity of species conservation. For example, what is the role of various definitions of biodiversity and assessments of extinction risks? How does sample storage relate to complex, multispecies relations in nature that are essential for species survival? What is the role of (European) policy and law in the collection and exchange of samples? The project team aims to answer these and similar questions through observations of biobanking practices and interviews with relevant people. In this context, a central role is attributed to considering the relations between humans and animals, not only in direct encounters, but also in the social and political institutions that structure these relations. The project thereby contributes to a deeper understanding of species conservation and the challenges of extinction as a problem that is social as much as it is natural.