HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Bishop Museum is partnering with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to help save Hawaii’s most endangered species using biobanking.
The process preserves DNA, living cells, and reproductive material to protect wildlife like native forest birds and Hawaiian land snails.
Leaders say this work also preserves the cultural stories tied to each species.
“Biobanking represents both a scientific and cultural commitment: it ensures that future generations will not only inherit the legacy of these species but also the ike (knowledge) and moolelo (stories) tied to them,” said Dr. Norine W. Yeung, Bishop Museum curator of Malacology.
The partnership, unveiled at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, places Hawaii at the center of an ambitious global movement to expand biobanking to all endangered species by 2075.
The partnership includes three other facilities in Kenya, Vietnam, and Peru. All areas with significant levels of biodiversity that are threatened with high levels of extinction.
Hawaii will join biobanking hubs in Kenya, Vietnam, and Peru, creating a global network to safeguard biodiversity before it disappears.
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