ABSTRACT
Even as conservationists remain wary of the approach that cloning represents, the potential of cloning for conservation is receiving increasing attention in scientifi c circles and the public.1 Can cloning be used to rescue species or bring back extinct animals? If the answer is potentially affi rmative, doesn’t the technology merit the involvement of conservation scientists and restoration ecologists? I argue that despite its limitations cloning represents a tenable conservation tool, especially one that can be prepared for by preserving cell-lines of endangered species for future efforts. If undertaken in conservation contexts, and with the interests of the animals and their habitats in mind, cloning species that people have extinguished or decimated can be a justifi able strategy.
