In vivo conservation of animal genetic resources

"The Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, adopted in 2007, is the first internationally agreed framework for the management of biodiversity in the livestock sector. It calls for the development of technical guidelines to support countries in their implementation efforts. Guidelines on the Preparation of national strategies and action plans for animal genetic resources were published in 2009 and are being complemented by a series of guideline publications addressing specific technical subjects. Conservation of animal genetic resources – ensuring that these valuable resources remain available for future use by livestock breeders – is one of the four strategic priority areas of the Global Plan of Action. These guidelines focus on conservation “in vivo”, i.e. maintaining live populations rather than storing frozen genetic material. They complement separate guidelines on Cryoconservation of animal genetic resources published in the same series. They have been endorsed by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. In vivo conservation encompasses a range of actions that can be taken to ensure the survival of livestock breeds or populations that are threatened with extinction. These guidelines address both “in situ” conservation (supporting the continued use of threatened breeds in the livestock production systems where they have traditionally been raised) and “ex situ” conservation (maintenance of populations at sites such as conservation farms and zoos). As well as providing a wealth of information on breeding strategies for small at-risk populations, the guidelines provide advice on how to develop an effective and well-targeted national conservation strategy. They also discuss a number of specific strategies that can be employed to promote greater self-sustainability in at-risk breeds, including establishing community-based conservation programmes, promoting niche marketing and livestock-related cultural activities, and capitalizing on the use of grazing animals in landscape management and nature conservation."--Publisher description.