New Genes, New Species: Navigating Conservation Decisions

Introducing new genes and species into ecosystems can be a game-changer for conservation. It's like adding new players to a team—they can bring fresh skills and boost performance, but they might also disrupt the team's dynamics. Both synthetic biology and conservation introductions have their pros and cons. On one hand, they can help prevent extinctions and restore ecosystems. On the other, they come with risks like unexpected ecological impacts and social concerns. The conservation community has tried to set rules for each new tool, but there's a need for a comprehensive guide to help managers make tough decisions. Here, we mix biological, legal, social, cultural, and ethical views to create a set of principles. These principles aim to make high-stakes conservation decisions easier by clearly outlining the risks of doing nothing and the benefits of taking action. They also suggest using decision-making tools to consider multiple factors.