Encouraging off-site conservation of biodiversity

Ex-situ conservation maintains species outside their original habitats in facilities such as arboreta, zoological gardens, seed genebanks, in vitro genebanks and field genebanks. Seed genebanks are considered safe and cost effective for seed-producing crop species. Field and in vitro genebanks are particularly useful for species with seeds that are difficult to store. Ex-situ conservation makes it easier for scientists to access, study, distribute and use plant genetic resources.

Zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, gene banks and collections should keep species, crop varieties and domestic animal breeds, under satisfactory standards that guarantee their conservation and integrate their work into co-ordinated action plans which aim at the restoration of the species to a satisfactory in-situ conservation status.

Animals are maintained in zoos, rehabilitation centres and captive breeding centres. Collections of specific microorganisms are deposited in universities and research institutions.

The European Community Biodiversity Strategy states, "gene banks in the Community are not as well developed as elsewhere and action should be taken to improve the situation. These initiatives would help to meet present and future requirements for global food security and they should focus on the key elements of the Global Plan for Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture."< China has 28 zoological gardens and 143 zoological exhibition sites within large parks. There are, altogether, more than 600 species of animals, numbering over 100,000, in zoos. In addition, 227 artificial breeding farms for wild animals have been established. There are more than 110 botanical gardens with more than 13,000 species of flora, including 80% of the valuable, rare and endangered species of plants, which are preserved at the national level.