Simple Summary
Habitat protection and natural breeding alone will not be enough to recover many endangered species that exist in small, isolated populations. Assisted reproductive technologies have the capacity to preserve and transfer valuable genetic material across individuals, places and generations. These include artificial insemination, cryopreservation of gametes and tissues, production and transfer of embryos, cloning and stem-cell-based approaches. Biobanks are collections of biological material for future use, with genomic information supporting the selection of donors and genetic rescue. But offspring production does not guarantee population recovery. Offspring should be healthy and fertile, genetically valuable, and able to produce viable populations. This review highlights the applications, limitations and technology readiness of these technologies within the major vertebrate groups. Animal welfare, governance, resource allocation and long-term monitoring are also considered. Reproductive technology should be combined with conservation of habitat, reduction of threats, managed breeding and ecological restoration.
Abstract
Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) provide opportunities for conservation of endangered wildlife, but their use is still limited by species-specific reproductive physiology, variable gamete competence, cryoinjury, and lack of validation of new approaches. This narrative review covers ART, biobanking, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) and conservation genomics in vertebrates. Key molecular barriers include oxidative and mitochondrial damage, aberrant embryonic genome activation, incomplete epigenetic reprogramming, nuclear-mitochondrial incompatibility and defective germ-cell differentiation. Technological readiness is used to evaluate the evidence and separate demonstrated reproductive outcomes from experimental proof of concept, and indirect findings from domestic or laboratory models. Semen cryopreservation and artificial insemination are established in selected species, while embryo-based interventions remain species-dependent and stem-cell-derived reproductive approaches require functional validation. We propose an integrated decision framework linking reproductive diagnosis, biobanking, genomic donor selection, technological readiness, animal welfare, and resource allocation with reproductive and population-level outcomes. Importantly, laboratory milestones alone cannot demonstrate conservation success without sustained genetic contribution across multiple subsequent generations. Successful translation depends on species-specific protocols, standardized endpoints, and evidence of genetically valuable offspring survival, reproduction, and contribution to long-term population viability.