The purpose of the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) is to identify sites in most urgent need of conservation, and to act together to prevent species extinctions.

 AZE is first focusing on species that face extinction either because their last remaining habitat is being degraded at a local level, or because their tiny global range makes them especially vulnerable to external threats.

 AZE uses the following criteria to identify priority sites (a site must meet all three to qualify):

1. Endangerment. An AZE site must contain at least one Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR) species, as listed on the IUCN Red List.

2. Irreplaceability. An AZE site should only be designated if it is the sole area where an EN or CR species occurs, contains the overwhelmingly significant known resident population of the EN or CR species, or contains the overwhelmingly significant known population for one life history segment (e.g. breeding or wintering) of the EN or CR species.

3. Discreteness. The area must have a definable boundary within which the character of habitats, biological communities, and/or management issues have more in common with each other than they do with those in adjacent areas.

AZE scientists working in collaboration with an international network of experts have so far identified 595 such sites that must be effectively protected to prevent the extinction of 794 of the world’s most threatened species (many sites have more than one AZE “trigger species” confined to them).

 The following 10 AZE sites have been identified for French Polynesia (which represent 15% of the Australia-Pacific region):

All AZE sites for French Polynesia qualified because of the presence of a single threatened endemic terrestrial bird. No other site was identified because of the occurence of any other animal species or plant species.

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