Ethics of biobanking for conservation: Researchers adjust ethical assessment tool for the use of genome research banks

In the face of the global biodiversity crisis, more and more biobanks are being set up to safeguard and potentially restore genetic diversity. Preserved tissue or cells allow scientists and conservationists to overcome spatial and even temporal fragmentations of dwindling wildlife populations and employ assisted reproduction technologies—as long as biobanks can be used in a safe and ethically appropriate manner.