10/10/2025
13:30 - 14:10
Learning Zone Pavilion: Publications Hub
, Onsite
Session with interpretation
Why attend
Biodiversity is disappearing fast. Biobanks—collections of biological material—are powerful tools to safeguard genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. This session shows how biobanking strengthens conservation, explains practical steps and challenges, and highlights why global collaboration is vital to protect life on Earth for the future.
Session Description
Biodiversity faces unprecedented pressures from climate change, habitat loss, and exploitation, making it essential to track changes across genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. Biobanks—systematic collections of biological material—offer unique opportunities to provide reference points in time and space, support conservation planning, and enhance both in situ and ex situ efforts. Yet, building and using biobanks raises methodological, technical, and regulatory challenges.This session introduces the IUCN Guidelines on Biobanking for Conservation Purposes, offering practical insights into decision-making processes for establishing, managing, and implementing biobanks. Participants will explore diverse methods, understand their conservation value, and learn about international and national frameworks shaping this work. By promoting harmonized and standardized approaches, the session underscores the importance of a coordinated global network to maximize biobanks’ impact.
Join us to see how biobanking can help safeguard biodiversity for future generations.
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