Revive & Restore

Programs: Genetic rescue tool kit: revive & restore advances the incorporation of genetic tools into standard conservation practice by bringing together academic and commercial organizations and the conservation practitioners working in the field. Revive & restore has three distinct roles: as a convener, as a science coordinator, and as a funder advancing the necessary science to build a genetic rescue toolkit for twenty-first century conservation. Revive & restore partnered with san diego zoo global to identify areas of opportunities utilizing these new tools (including genome sequencing, cryopreservation, advanced reproductive technologies, and genome engineering) to protect endangered species in order to enhance genetic diversity, to build disease resistance, and to facilitate adaption to climate change.

engineering resilience conference: revive & restore organized a four-day conference aimed at identifying synthetic biology solutions to conservation problems caused by environmental change. A total of 43 experts from all fields of conservation came together to develop ambitious projects designed to alleviate the threat of invasive species, to further climate resilience, to confer disease resistance, or to develop stakeholder and community engagement. The resulting case studies were: reefs for the future: next generation corals for tomorrows reef; future-proofing biodiversity: restoring indigenous cultural stories; combating rapid ohia death: saving hawaiis forests; a world institute for synthesizing engagement. We were pleased to report that several of these case studies have since moved forward with funding.

avian genetic rescue: avian de-extinction research has begun generating foundational science that could transform bird conservation. Many of the same technologies that will enable de-extinction are needed for endangered birds, in order to restore genetic diversity, create or enhance disease resistance, and facilitate adaptation to address genomic vulnerability to a changing climate. In 2017, revive & restore worked on developing the necessary technologies to facilitate both our de-extinction projects and the genetic rescue of endangered birds, including genome sequencing of the peregrine. In addition, with a team of scientists at the university of california santa cruz, revive & restore concluded a four-year long analysis of passenger pigeon genomes, the results of which were published in science.