- To encourage the establishment of such collections worldwide.
- To respect and protect the rights of countries and local communities over their natural resources, including those of genetic origin.
- To construct a global database of preserved materials and species in need of collection.
- Within five years to sample the most strongly threatened species, and within the next thirty years to sample all known endangered animals.
- To establish expert panels to decide the order in which species from every major animal group need to be collected, the time available, and how best to obtain the samples.
Aims
- To create centres for conserving DNA, RNA, proteins and viable cells from endangered animals.
- To find the best and most humane methods of collecting and stabilising these molecules for the different animal groups.