The potential and pitfalls of de‐extinction

Abstract

‘De‐extinction’ is the nascent discipline that aims to one day literally revive now‐extinct species from the dead. Although we have yet to see any successful attempts to truly resurrect an extinct species, several technologies are now in place that might one day provide a plausible solution. Thus, the area is receiving increased attention from both scientists and the general public. However, how far does present technology place us from the ultimate goal? We address the state of the art of several prominent de‐extinction methods: back‐breeding, cloning, synthetic genomics and genome editing, and discuss some of the major outstanding challenges for each. We also discuss some of the wider challenges facing de‐extinction, including both what might constitute the definition of success and what might be needed to successfully take a recreated animal and confer on it the ability to establish itself back in the wild.

The Draft Genome of Extinct European Aurochs and its Implications for De-Extinction

“…At this point we should highlight that the exact definition of a successful "de-extinction" is a controversial subject (Richmond et al, 2016). For example, one could attempt to create a modified animal that fulfils the same ecosystem function as a now extinct form, while not exhibiting the fully accurate phenotype.…”

“…In this regard, a major outstanding question is therefore how many local modern cow breeds contain genetic remnants of the aurochs nestled within their own genome; and thus, what total fraction of the aurochs' genome may still exist? While there are many possible answers, one that is particularly topical given the current climate in which ' de-extinction' projects are starting to receive considerable attention (Barnett, 2016;Richmond et al, 2016), is that if aurochs genetic material still exists preserved in these genomes, it may support the possibility of one day bringing back this species.…”

Tourism and rewilding: an introduction – definition, issues and review

“…Despite the crucial role of tourism in providing an economic justification for rewilding (Feldman, 2011;Hall, 2015;Tanasescu, 2017) and de-extinction (Richmond, Sinding, & Gilbert, 2016;Whittle et al, 2015), usually via the reintroduction of charismatic megafauna (DeSilvey & Bartolini, 2019;Donlan et al, 2006;Jepson, Schepers, & Helmer, 2018;Vasile, 2018;Wolf & Ripple, 2018;Zamboni, Di Martino, & Jiménez-Pérez, 2017), there is surprisingly little directly written about tourism and rewilding with ecotourism and nature-based tourism usually being regarded as a surrogate for tourism to rewilded areas (Brown et al, 2011;Prior & Ward, 2016;Procter, 2014). Indeed, Cloyd (2016) makes the significant observation that rather than the human presence being dismissed within sites of rewilding, tourism reveals just how embedded humans are shaping 'wild' places.…”

The use of cattle Bos taurus for restoring and maintaining holarctic landscapes: Conclusions from a long‐term study (1946–2017) in northern England

“…In situations such as HNV systems using breeds from other countries, or rewilding projects that use Heck cattle (a synthetic "re-creation" of the aurochs; Lorimer & Driessen, 2014), or a more recent development, the "tauros" (Pettorelli et al, 2018;Richmond, Sinding, & Gilbert, 2016), cultural significance is less evident, but may develop as time progresses. In situations such as HNV systems using breeds from other countries, or rewilding projects that use Heck cattle (a synthetic "re-creation" of the aurochs; Lorimer & Driessen, 2014), or a more recent development, the "tauros" (Pettorelli et al, 2018;Richmond, Sinding, & Gilbert, 2016), cultural significance is less evident, but may develop as time progresses.…”

“…All the above-mentioned breeds are associated with landscapes with which they share cultural significance. In situations such as HNV systems using breeds from other countries, or rewilding projects that use Heck cattle (a synthetic "re-creation" of the aurochs; Lorimer & Driessen, 2014), or a more recent development, the "tauros" (Pettorelli et al, 2018;Richmond, Sinding, & Gilbert, 2016), cultural significance is less evident, but may develop as time progresses.…”