The applications of cloning to the conservation of rare and endangered species

Over the last few decades, advances in plant and animal cloning technologies such as micropropagation and somatic cell nuclear transfer have resulted in potentially useful tools to address the challenges associated with conserving rare and endangered species. Given the demonstrated ability of cloning technologies to reproduce rare and endangered species, there is a need to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of more broadly applying cloning for the purposes of species conservation. This Master's Degree Project presents a theoretical framework describing the current and potential ability of cloning applications to provide options for the conservation of rare and endangered species. An evaluation of the costs and benefits yields the conclusion that given the appropriate species and circumstance, cloning may be a useful tool to achieve specific conservation goals. Cloning may be particularly valuable in conserving critically endangered species by providing a method of reconstructing genetic variability and reproducing species that have proven difficult to reproduce by other approaches. However, cloning is not a comprehensive 'solution' as it does not address many of the challenges associated with species conservation. Cloning should only be used in the context of a comprehensive management plan capable of addressing holistic conservation issues and coordinating various conservation efforts to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of each approach. Finally, cloning is a reactionary approach to conservation, capable only of addressing current problems rather than their prevention. Thus, cloning does not address the definitive causes of many species extinctions, including man-kind's interactions with nature.; Keywords. cloning, conservation, rare species, endangered species, somatic cell nuclear transfer, micropropagation, tissue culture, cost-benefit evaluation, management recommendations.