In this approach, threatened animals and plantsare taken out from their natural habitat and placed in special settingwhere they can be protected and given special care. Zoological parks,botanical gardens and wildlife safari parks serve this purpose. There aremany animals that have become extinct in the wild but continue to bemaintained in zoological parks. In recent years ex situ conservation hasadvanced beyond keeping threatened species in enclosures. Now gametesof threatened species can be preserved in viable and fertile condition forlong periods using cryopreservation techniques, eggs can be fertilised invitro, and plants can be propagated using tissue culture methods. Seedsof different genetic strains of commercially important plants can be keptfor long periods in seed banks.Biodiversity knows no political boundaries and its conservation istherefore a collective responsibility of all nations. The historic Conventionon Biological Diversity (‘The Earth Summit’) held in Rio de Janeiro in1992, called upon all nations to take appropriate measures forconservation of biodiversity and sustainable utilisation of its benefits. Ina follow-up, the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in 2002in Johannesburg, South Africa, 190 countries pledged their commitmentto achieve by 2010, a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversityloss at global, regional and local levels