Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites have one or more Critically Endangered or Endangered species that occurs nowhere else on Earth. If an AZE site is lost, such as through habitat degradation, these species are very likely to become extinct, at least in the wild. How can the extinction of such highly-threatened species be avoided?

Our mission: The Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) is a joint initiative of biodiversity conservation organizations from around the world working to prevent extinctions by promoting the identification, ensuring the safeguard and effective conservation of key sites that are the last remaining refuges of one or more Endangered or Critically Endangered species.

The first step to implementing AZE site conservation is to identify AZE sites. All AZE sites are also Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). The AZE and KBA identification process is described here. Please also view the current updated map of all global AZE sites.

The next step is to determine which AZE sites are currently protected. Both national-level protected areas datasets and global datasets, such as the World Database on Protected Areas, can be consulted to determine the extent to which AZE sites are in protected areas.

The third step is to safeguard these extremely important sites for biodiversity conservation. Such conservation can be implemented in several ways, such as through the establishment of national or sub-national protected areas, private protected areas, or other effective area-based conservation measures in which long-term management measures exist. Consult our suggestions for safeguarding AZE sites.