Data from: Maximizing the potential for living cell banks to contribute to global conservation priorities

Summary

This dataset accompanies the publication "Maximizing the potential for living cell banks to contribute to global conservation priorities" published in Zoo Biology. This study analyzed the representation of amphibian, bird, mammal and reptile species within the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) Frozen Zoo® living cell collection (as of April 2019) and implemented a qualitative framework for the prioritization of species for future sampling. We used global conservation assessment schemes (including the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM, CITES, the Alliance for Zero Extinction, the EDGE of Existence, and Climate Change Vulnerability), and opportunities for sample acquisition from the global zoo and aquarium community, to identify priority species for future cryobanking efforts.

Two datasets accompany this publication. The first provides a complete list of all “Threatened” species not currently represented within the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) Frozen Zoo®, their representation under various conservation assessment schemes, and their presence in the global zoo and aquarium community, as represented by Species360 members (Supporting Information Data S1). The second provides a list of the 2,351 amphibian and bird species not currently represented in the SDZWA Frozen Zoo® or listed as “Threatened” under the IUCN Red List, but assessed by Foden et al. (2013) as highly vulnerable to climate change. This dataset also shows their presence in the global zoo and aquarium community, as represented by Species360 members (Supporting Information Data S2).

Data provided by SDZWA are only available upon request. Data for each conservation assessment scheme were collected from each source individually (all freely available), and are accurate to April 2019. Zoo species holdings data were provided upon request by Species360 (https://www.species360.org/), which operates the real-time database ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System). ZIMS is the largest real-time database of comprehensive and standardized information spanning more than 1,200 zoological collections globally, and provides the number of institutions currently managing each species and their current population sizes. 

Description of the Datasets

Supporting Information Data S1 (accurate to April 2019): A complete list of all “Threatened” species not currently represented within the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) Frozen Zoo®, their representation under various conservation assessment schemes, and their presence in the global zoo and aquarium community, as represented by Species360 members. Provided in .csv format, variables include:

• Class: The taxonomic class of the species
• IUCN Name: The taxonomic name of the species (genus and epithet) according to the IUCN Red List
• IUCN Status: The IUCN Red List status of the species (VU, EN, or CR)
• ZIMS: The presence (1) or absence (0) of the species from Species360 member zoos and aquariums
• AZE: The listing of the species on the Alliance for Zero Extinction assessment (listed = 1, not listed = 0)
• AZA: The presence of an active ex situ management programme for the species in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (active programme = 1, no programme = 0)
• EAZA: The presence of an active ex situ management programme for the species in the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (active programme = 1, no programme = 0)
• CITES: The listing of the species on of the three CITES appendices (listed = 1, not listed = 0)
• CC Vulnerability: The listing of the species as being highly vulnerable to climate change by Foden et al. 2013 (vulnerable = 1, not vulnerable = 0)
• EDGE: The listing of the species on the Evolutionary Distinctiveness and Global Endangerment assessment (listed = 1, not listed = 0)

Supporting Information Data S2 (accurate to April 2019): A list of the 2,351 amphibian and bird species not currently represented in the SDZWA Frozen Zoo® or listed as “Threatened” under the IUCN Red List, but assessed by Foden et al. (2013) as highly vulnerable to climate change. This dataset also shows their presence in the global zoo and aquarium community, as represented by Species360 members. Provided in .csv format, variables include:

• Class: The taxonomic class of the species
• IUCN Name: The taxonomic name of the species (genus and epithet) according to the IUCN Red List
• CC Vulnerability: The listing of the species as being highly vulnerable to climate change by Foden et al. 2013 (all species are vulnerable = H)
• IUCN Status: The IUCN Red List status of the species (excluding VU, EN, or CR)
• ZIMS: The presence (1) or absence (0) of the species from Species360 member zoos and aquariums

Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and Species360 member institutions for their support and data input. This research was funded by the Irish Fulbright Commission 2018/2019 to A.M., the Irish Research Council Laureate Awards 2017/2018 IRCLA/2017/60 to Y.M.B. D.A.C. and J.S. were funded by Species360, the University of Southern Denmark and the Species360 Conservation Science Alliance sponsors: the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), Mandai Wildlife Reserve, and Copenhagen Zoo. 

Disclaimer

Despite our best efforts at screening the data for errors and inconsistencies, some information could be erroneous. Similarly, data collected from the various conservation assessment schemes, and those contained within ZIMS, could contain errors or reporting failures. For example, ZIMS data are are based on submitted records from individual institutions, and are not subject to editorial verification, potentially permitting errors or failure to update species holdings etc. Despite this, ZIMS represents the only global database of zoo collection composition records, and as a result, is used by the IUCN, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). 

Credit

If you use this dataset, please cite the corresponding publication:

Mooney, A., Ryder, O. A., Houck, M. L., Staerk, J., Conde, D. A., & Buckley, Y. M. (2023). Maximizing the potential for living cell banks to contribute to global conservation priorities. Zoo Biology, 1– 12. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21787