ABSTRACT
Introduction The loss of global biodiversity is regularly highlighted (cf. Chapters 2 and 3).With no foreseeable changes in the factors influencing decline in species number, there is a need to develop effective and effecient ex situ conservation strategies. These are conventially based on the optimization of traditional storage procedures developed for economically significant species from temperate regions. Although these strategies are inadequate for many rare and endangered species, the threat of extinction has led conservationists to adopt them as the only procedures available to maintain genetic resources.
