Colossal Biosciences’ 10-Year Plan to ‘Re:wild’ Critically Endangered and Extinct Species

Colossal Biosciences recently partnered with Leonardo DiCaprio’s ecosystem restoration organization Re:wild to unveil a joint 10-year conservation plan focused on advancing the global protection of species at risk of extinction, the rediscovery of vital lost species, and the rejuvenation of ecosystems crucial for species wellbeing and rewilding.

With over 1 million species currently at risk of extinction, this collaboration combines Colossal’s groundbreaking science and technologies with Re:wild’s extensive ecosystem conservation expertise to combat global biodiversity losses and develop sustainable solutions to ecosystem restoration.

Colossal Biosciences is known for its cutting-edge de-extinction and conservation biotechnological toolkit working to revitalize species from the extinct dodo and Tasmanian tiger to the critically endangered northern white rhino and Asian elephant. The partnership’s work will be centered around international best practices and involves the use of innovative conservation techniques like rewilding, genetic rescue, and the search for long-unseen species currently considered lost.

“This partnership represents the next step in building Colossal’s conservation technologies into a revolutionary tool in the fight against biodiversity loss,” Matt James, Colossal’s chief animal officer, said in a press release. “Merging Colossal and Re:wild’s collective conservation efforts, while bringing our scientific expertise to more of their projects, will greatly expand the reach of our technology and help to ensure we can save as many species as possible.”

Colossal Biosciences and Re:wild’s 3-Step Strategy

Rewilding

Rewilding, or the process of restoring biodiversity losses to foster ecological resilience, is the inspiration behind Re:wild’s name. The organization has notably worked to conserve over 460 million acres of wilderness with the help of its international partners.

Re:wild and Colossal’s 10-year plan will work closely with local partners around the world to reintroduce over 30 threatened species back to their native habitats. These species include iconic and ecologically important animals like the Tasmanian devil and Asian elephant, keystone species crucial to maintaining their ecosystem’s biodiversity.

Leveraging Re:wild’s extensive network of partnerships with global communities, governments, organizations, and Indigenous peoples, this collaboration will also assess the ecological, legal, social, and ethical feasibility of reintroducing several of Colossal Biosciences’ de-extinction candidates, including the Tasmanian tiger, woolly mammoth, and dodo.

Along with the help of the local government and stakeholders, this affiliation will restore at least three sites key to Colossal’s conservation and de-extinction efforts, with Tasmania, Australia, the Annamite Range in eastern Indochina, and the North American Arctic all potential candidates for restoration.

This alliance will also prepare the tropical island nation of Mauritius for the return of the currently extinct dodo and will work with local and global allies to develop a plan for the species’ return, establish sustainable populations, and find and develop reintroduction sites.

“By establishing a core focus and combining the strengths of each organization, we’re on track to a truly monumental conservation win,” Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, said.

Genetic Rescue

Genetic rescue is the process of introducing genetic variation into a species to increase its diversity and improve survival chances. Utilizing novel reproductive technology, Colossal Biosciences has been perfecting genetic rescue techniques since its founding in 2021, and its work continues to have lifesaving impacts on species like the pink pigeon, Victorian grassland earless dragon, and northern white rhino — all known for their remarkably low populations and genetic diversity.

As part of this partnership, Re:wild will support Colossal’s work with these species, and the two organizations will work to establish conservation breeding programs for more critically endangered species like the Sumatran rhino, considered the world’s most endangered rhino, down to fewer than 80 individuals and found only in Indonesia.

“I have dedicated my career to protecting and recovering species that may be down to their last few individuals,” said Barney Long, senior director of conservation strategies for Re:wild. “For some of them, protecting their remaining habitat will not be enough to allow them to recover. We are at the point where we need to do something dramatically innovative. The possibilities that Colossal’s technology opens up for critically endangered species and ecosystems is game-changing.”

Search for Lost Species

A lost species is one that’s gone unseen for at least 10 years and is therefore considered extinct. Since 2017, Re:wild has been on a mission to hunt down lost species, and together with the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission has developed a list of 4,300 lost plant, animal, and fungi species of particular importance considered “the most wanted lost species.”

So far, the organization has found 12 species once considered lost, including the Fernandina Galápagos tortoise, an elusive subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise on Re:wild’s original list of the top 25 most wanted lost species due to going unseen for 113 years.

Colossal Biosciences will support Re:wild on the quest for lost species, and with the help of local partners, the two organizations will look for at least 50 species over the next five years. If any species happens to be found, the alliance will also initiate their conservation.

A Partnership for Protection

By combining Re:wild’s traditional conservation approaches with Colossal’s advanced conservation-based biotechnology toolkit, this cooperative is establishing a new paradigm for conservation and ensuring that we work to protect critical biodiversity from extinction before it’s too late.

While the affiliation is currently focused on protecting specific, uniquely threatened species like the Asian elephant, African forest elephant, African savanna elephant, northern white rhino, Sumatran rhino, pink pigeon, Victorian grassland earless dragon, and Tasmanian devil, the impacts of this project (and these species upon their ecosystems) can potentially have implications on countless species and perhaps even ecosystem restoration.

As Barney Long states on Re:wild’s website: “For some critically endangered species, this technology may be the last best hope for their survival. For many others, this technology may be the difference between merely surviving and actually thriving.”