Biobanking reproductive material offers a powerful, yet still underused, opportunity to preserve genetic diversity and extend the impact of conservation, research and breeding programs. Sperm cryopreservation can capture genetic variation from individuals and populations before it is lost through demographic decline, environmental disturbance, disease, inbreeding, or loss of valuable research lines. When integrated with assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilisation, these repositories can support genetic rescue, reduce pressure on live colonies, and provide long-term insurance against future uncertainty.
Research across the Centre for Conservation Science and the Centre for Reproductive Science at the University of Newcastle has focused on developing and translating sperm cryopreservation approaches across diverse biological contexts. In Australian amphibians and reptiles, this has included non-lethal gamete collection, cryopreservation and the use of sperm to produce reproductively mature offspring, as well as field-based sperm banking from fire-affected species following the 2019/20 megafires. These projects have demonstrated how reproductive technologies can move beyond the laboratory and become practical tools within threatened species recovery programs.
Looking forward, there is significant potential to expand reproductive biobanking across additional sectors and taxa in Australia, and globally. This includes species of aquacultural significance, where genetic resources underpin productivity, resilience and selective breeding, as well as wildlife conservation programs where biobanked sperm may help maintain adaptive potential in small or fragmented populations. Additionally, biobanked materials can support research through preservation of transgenic and mutant lines of model species. Current and emerging projects from our Centres expand this work into squirrel gliders in Australia, and giraffe in South Africa, illustrate the growing relevance of sperm biobanking across mammals, amphibians and aquatic species. Here, we explore how connecting reproductive biology and cryobiology can shift biobanking from a species-by-species emergency response to coordinated infrastructure for preserving genetic diversity across wildlife, aquaculture and biomedical systems.