Approximately 40% of animal species are parasites: a dazzling diversity of morphology and life history, a large component of the biomass in any given ecosystem, and a structuring force in ecological communities. But despite their ubiquity and importance, parasites are neglected and even persecuted by current conservation research and practice. Yet parasites should be as vulnerable to extinction as their free-living host species, if not more so, suggesting that a hidden (co)extinction crisis is underway. Given these ominous statistics, impassioned pleas to save the parasites have sparked a recent flurry of research, creating a timely opportunity to reflect and to map the future of the emerging frontier of parasite conservation. Which parasite species are most at risk and why, and how and when should we act to conserve parasite biodiversity? The speakers in this organized session will first review existing patterns of parasite biodiversity, gaps in our knowledge, and the abundant resources available to study parasite biodiversity and extinction risks, including museum collections and bioinformatic databases. We will hear from several projects that have used these resources to generally predict which host and parasite characteristics make parasite species most vulnerable to primary and secondary extinction. The speakers will then explore a few specific drivers of host and parasite extinction, including overfishing and climate change. Finally, speakers will discuss specific tools for parasite conservation assessments and parasite conservation actions that can serve as practical solutions in this era of global change. Throughout the session, speakers will highlight the opportunities for parasite conservation that they have experienced and/or envisioned, as well as the challenges on the horizon of this emerging frontier.