 | |
| Founded | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ryan Phelan and Stewart Brand |
| Type | 501(c)(3) Non-profit Organization |
| Focus | Genetic rescue of endangered and extinct species |
| Location |
|
Area served |
Global |
Revenue |
$5.5 million in 2022 |
| Website | reviverestore |
Revive & Restore is a nonprofit wildlife conservation organization bringing biotechnology to conservation. Biotechnology can be used to increase genetic diversity, build disease resistance, and facilitate adaptation. Headquartered in Sausalito, California, the organization's mission is to enhance biodiversity through the genetic rescue of endangered and extinct species.
Revive & Restore has pioneered the “Genetic Rescue Toolkit” for wildlife conservation – a suite of biotechnology tools adapted from human medicine and commercial agriculture that can improve wildlife conservation outcomes. The toolkit includes biobanking and cell culturing, genetic sequencing, and advanced reproductive technologies, such as cloning. The toolkit complements traditional conservation practices, such as captive breeding and habitat restoration. As of 2023, Revive & Restore has supported 54 research grants to projects demonstrating the use of biotechnology for applied conservation. These efforts span 16 countries and more than 70 wild species.
The work of Revive & Restore is not without controversy. In particular, their work in de-extinction has been characterized as "playing god" and criticized for taking time and money away from traditional conservation efforts. In addition, many are concerned by the concept of cloning, even in the context of conservation.
History
Revive & Restore was co-founded in 2012 by Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan with the idea of bringing biotechnology solutions to conservation. The founders recognized that traditional conservation efforts were not enough to save some of the world's most threatened species and that new technologies were needed. The group was incubated by the Long Now Foundation until 2017, when it became an independent 501(c)(3) organization.
Revive & Restore gained worldwide attention in 2013, when they organized the first public meeting on de-extinction. Their founding projects include the de-extinction of the passenger pigeon,heath hen, and woolly mammoth. Since then, Revive & Restore has established partnerships with research institutions, governmental agencies, and conservation organizations on a broad range of genetic rescue programs in support of endangered species.
Partnerships
Revive & Restore projects are conducted in partnership with scientific institutions, conservation organizations, biotechnology companies, and governmental agencies. Revive & Restore is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and has long-standing partnerships with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Morris Animal Foundation, and ViaGen Pets & Equine, and others.
Programs
Catalyst Science Fund
The Catalyst Science Fund supports the development of new biotechnology tools for conservation. Launched in 2018 and now over $8 million, the Catalyst Science Fund targets early-stage bioscience research and proof-of-concept projects with the potential to impact conservation. Funded programs include the Advanced Coral Toolkit and Wild Genomes described below, among others.
Advanced Coral Toolkit
The Advanced Coral Toolkit supports research teams in the development and field testing of biotechnologies that benefit coral reef management and restoration efforts. Projects include coral cryopreservation methods for large scale biobanking and fieldable devices for measuring genetic information or molecular signals associated with coral stress. Launched in 2019, the program has funded 10 research teams.
Wild Genomes
Wild Genomes is a funding program to provide genomic tools to field scientists, wildlife managers, and citizens working to protect their local biodiversity. As of 2023, Wild Genomes has funded 30 individual projects. Program categories include Terrestrial Species, Marine Species, Amphibians, and Kelp Ecosystems
Informed Biobanking
Given the rising rates of extinctionbiobanking and sequencing endangered species can aid restoration efforts. In 2022, Revive & Restore launched a partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to biobank living tissue from U.S. endangered species. The partnership includes the development of a biobanking pipeline for cell culturing and long-term cryopreservation. The partnership also includes a pilot program to biobank and sequence genomes from over 20 U.S. endangered and threatened species.
Cloning for Conservation
To help mitigate inbreeding depression for two endangered species, the Black-footed ferret(Mustela nigripes) and Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), Revive & Restore facilitates on-going efforts to clone individuals from historic cell lines stored at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Frozen Zoo. The program seeks to restore genetic variation lost from the living gene pool.
On December 10, 2020, the world’s first cloned black-footed ferret was born. This ferret, named Elizabeth Ann, marked the first time a U.S. endangered species was successfully cloned.
On August 6, 2020, the world’s first cloned Przewalski’s horse was born. Since the oocyte used was from a domestic horse, this was an example of interspecies SCNT. In 2022, the horse, named Kurt, was paired with a female Przewalski’s horse at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Safari Park to learn the behaviors of his species. On February 17, 2023, a second cloned Przewalski’s horse was born from the same historic cell line. Kurt and the new foal are genetic twins that may become the first cloned animals to restore lost genetic variation to their species.
Biotechnology for Bird Conservation
In 2019, 460 bird species were listed as endangered by the IUCN. Yet, advanced reproductive technologies that exist for mammals, like cloning, are not transferable to birds due to differences in reproductive strategies. Technologies to aid bird conservation lag far behind those developed for mammals. In 2022, Revive & Restore launched the Biotechnology for Bird Conservation program to advance reproductive and gene-editing methods in birds. To date, they have funded 8 projects led by scientists in the U.S., Germany, Korea, and Japan. Technologies developed in the Biotechnology for Bird Conservation program could also advance two of Revive & Restore’s founding projects: the de-extinction of passenger pigeons and heath hens.
De-Extinction
In 2012, Revive & Restore organized and funded an invitation-only workshop on de-extinction, bringing together 36 scientists from across the globe to discuss reviving lost species. The event provided the first organized meeting on the topic. In 2013, Revive & Restore organized and funded the first public meeting on de-extinction, TEDxDeExtinction, that catapulted the concept into mainstream media. The Woolly Mammoth and Passenger Pigeon emerged as focal species for Revive & Restore’s de-extinction efforts.
From 2013 to 2021, Revive & Restore organized research and development for the Woolly Mammoth and Passenger Pigeon projects. In 2021, a for-profit bioscience company, Colossal Biosciences, took over the Woolly Mammoth project. The passenger pigeon project is on-going with Revive & Restore.
Intended Consequences Initiative
In 2020, Revive & Restore developed a campaign around the concept of “Intended Consequences” – focusing on the benefits of conservation interventions, as opposed to focusing on the fears of unintended consequences. Revive & Restore argued that when conservationists propose interventions, they often hear, “What about the unintended consequences?” However, for thousands of threatened and endangered species, inaction can lead to extinction. The concept of “Intended Consequences” provides a counterweight to the narrative of fear of unintended consequences.
In 2020, Revive & Restore hosted a virtual workshop on Intended Consequences with 57 participants, including scientists, ethicists, and conservation practitioners. The workshop resulted in the publication of a special issue in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Conservation Science and Practice.