Endangered Species and Hobbyists

Posting that picture of a Wombat reminded me of an idea I had.

In the pet trade, especially the fish and reptile trade, owners are sometimes in charge of animals which have become endangered within their native range. Sometimes these fish or reptiles are wild-caught; sometimes they are secure fixtures in the hobby who's natural habitat is in severe danger. I would love to see a group of hobbyists, laymen, who were doing their part to help preserve these species through a concerted effort to breed and observe them.

Now, there are a couple obvious roadblocks to this:

1.) No pedigree and unknown genetic makeup of many of these animals.
2.) Breeding programs enforce strict guidelines almost impossible to effectively enforce in a
group of laymen.
3.) A non-standardized environment means that almost none of these animals could realistically
be re-released into the wild.

Of course, you could have to sign a contract to join the organization promising to follow certain guidelines. And these animals could be the basis of a later breeding effort by professionals focusing on re-population and genetic strengthening.
I don't have the details worked out, but I would love to see something like this happen.