CSS Biodiversity Biobanking - San Diego Zoo
The CSS Biodiversity Banking at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is the first disciplinary CSS, leveraging the expertise of the SDZWA Wildlife Biodiversity Bank to advance conservation biobanking in partnership with the IUCN Species Survival Commission. Our mission is to safeguard genetic diversity by building a network of conservation biobanks dedicated to the conservation on Threatened species, through training programs, data sharing, and strategic biobank planning in biodiversity hotspots.
Wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970 (WWF 2024), which represents a staggering loss of genetic diversity and adaptive potential in species facing new and worsening threats. The CSS–Biodiversity Banking addresses this loss of genetic diversity in Threatened species by growing the field and application of conservation biobanking through biobanking training, planning, and networking. Inspired by the legacy of SDZWA’s Frozen ZooⓇ.
The Center specializes in expanding the practice of living cell biobanking (somatic cells, gametes, seeds, and other living material) for applications such as conservation genetic rescue and assisted reproduction, while also empowering the use of nonliving genetic material held in biobanks for genomic discovery for species management decisions.
The Center supports disciplinary, taxonomic, and national SSC Specialist Groups by providing training and strategic biobanking workshops aimed to increase technical capacity and awareness of the conservation actions that are empowered by biobanking.
Through this capacity building, CSS-Biodiversity Banking seeks to grow a global, coordinated network of biobanks supporting biodiversity conservation across taxa and regions, beginning with efforts in strategic biodiversity hotspots including the southwestern United States, Hawai’i, Peru, Kenya, and Vietnam.
Supporting the Species Conservation
1
Training Conservationists in Living Cell Culture and Cryopreservation of Threatened Species
In many biodiverse regions of the world, access to biobanking laboratory training limits the potential to conserve critical genetic diversity before it's too late. Thus, training the next generation of conservation cryobiologists is a key objective of the CSS-Biodiversity Banking. The Center is collaborating with the Animal Biobanking for Conservation Specialist Group to advertise a unique training opportunities for beginners in wildlife cell culture and cryopreservation, including a weeklong intensive training experience at the SDZWA Frozen ZooⓇ. The Center also supports a plant cryopreservation training program in collaboration with The Huntington (California, USA) through funding provided by the US Institute for Museum and Library Services. Starting in 2025, this program will guide botanic garden professionals through the process of generating advanced protocols for micropropagation and cryopreservation of Threatened plant species that cannot be conserved by traditional seed banking.
2
Supporting Regional and National Biobanking Strategies through Networking and Planning
The CSS Biodiversity Banking catalyzes biobanking action plans at regional and national scales by convening experts in the field to make informed strategic decisions. The Center is planning strategic workshops with government ministries in Kenya, Peru, Vietnam, and Hawaii in the coming quadrennium to map biobanking infrastructure and personnel capacity needs, and is working with the Conservation Planning Specialist Group and Animal Biobanking Specialist Group to organize regional workshops at CPSG meetings for regions including Oceania and Latin America.
3
Assessing and Disseminating the Biobanking Status of Threatened Species
For a conservation biobank to be successful, conservation practitioners must be aware of the resources that exist to support conservation action. The Center seeks to connect collections data of the SDZWA Wildlife Biodiversity with biobanking knowledge held within the SSC Specialist Groups to assess and communicate the genetic diversity of Threatened species represented in conservation biobanking collection. The CSS sponsors the hosting of the Sperm Atlas, a resource compiled by the Reproductive Sciences Team at SDZWA and collaborators at San Diego State University to disseminate the morphology and high resolution imagery of Threatened species sperm for the biobanking community. With the Animal Biobanking for Conservation Specialist Group, CSS Biobanking is working toward a gap analysis of Threatened species in living cell culture, starting species listed under the US Endangered Species Act, with the ultimate goal of incorporating insights IUCN Green Status Assessments. In our own backyard, CSS Biobanking works with the California Plant Rescue, a collaborative of conservation seed banks in California, to assess progress toward the goal of biobanking all of the state’s globally imperiled plants in conservation seed collection. CSS Biobanking leads publication of insights from collection patterns and disseminate findings to champion increased support from government stakeholders.
Meet our team
Megan Owen
Director
Megan is the Vice President of Conservation Science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) and Director of the Center for Species Survival – Biodiversity Banking. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a research background in the behavioral ecology of large mammals such as giant pandas, polar bears, and African elephants. She has contributed her expertise to a range of national and international conservation efforts, including service on the IUCN Bear Specialist Group and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Polar Bear Recovery Team Science and Monitoring Working Group. She also serves as co-chair of the Polar Bear Research Council and as a research advisor to the AZA Bear Taxon Advisory Group and the Species Survival Plans.
Director
Megan is the Vice President of Conservation Science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) and Director of the Center for Species Survival – Biodiversity Banking. She holds a Ph.D. from ...
Katie Heineman
Species Survival Officer
Katie is a plant ecologist and conservation biologist who believes strongly in the power of collaborative biobanking for extinction prevention and species recovery. She is experienced in developing partnerships and data systems required to track to the status of Threatened species in conservation biobanks, with a background in conservation seed banking initiatives in the United States. She is a member of the Animal Biobanking for Conservation Specialist Group and Seed Conservation Specialist Group and works to connect SSC Groups with the expertise of the SDZWA Wildlife Biodiversity Bank to catalyze conservation action.
Species Survival Officer
Katie is a plant ecologist and conservation biologist who believes strongly in the power of collaborative biobanking for extinction prevention and species recovery. She is ...
Hannah McPherson
Conservation Manager
Hannah is a conservation implementation manager at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where she supports the execution of SDZWA’s strategic conservation plan by aligning scientific workstreams, tracking outcomes, and fostering cross-functional collaboration. A CPSG-certified facilitator with expertise in project management and budget operations, she ensures that scientific efforts translate into strategic initiatives driving measurable conservation impact.
Conservation Manager
Hannah is a conservation implementation manager at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where she supports the execution of SDZWA’s strategic conservation plan by aligning scientific ...
Lianne Hedditch
Communications