Economics of AnGR conservation and sustainable use: Theory, practice and implications

Animal genetic resource (AnGR) diversity contributes in many ways to human survival and well-being.However, 32% of livestock breeds are threatened. Such an irreversible loss of genetic diversity reducesopportunities to improve food security, reduce poverty and shift towards sustainable agriculturalpractices.The large number of AnGR at risk in developing countries, together with the limited financial resourcesavailable for conservation, means that economic analysis can play an important role in ensuring anappropriate focus for conservation efforts. In this regard, important tasks include, inter alia: 1)determining the economic contribution that AnGR make to various societies; 2) supporting theassessment of priorities through the identification of cost-effective measures that might be taken toconserve domestic animal diversity; and 3) assist in the design of economic incentives and institutionalarrangements for the promotion of AnGR conservation by individual livestock keepers or communities.Nevertheless, despite the importance of the economics of AnGR conservation and sustainable use, thesubject has only recently begun to receive attention, despite the existence of a conceptual framework forthe valuation of biodiversity in general.Having described the theoretical background and the difficulties involved in carrying out this type ofeconomic analysis, this paper summarises the results of a range of economics of AnGR studies recentlycarried out in Africa, Latin America and Europe.These studies reveal that not only are there a range of methodologies that can be used to value livestockkeeper breed/trait preferences, but that they can in fact be of use in designing policies that counter thepresent trend towards marginalisation of indigenous breeds. In particular, it becomes possible to, interalia: recognise the importance livestock keepers place on adaptive traits and non-income functions, andthe need to consider these in breeding programme design; identify those breeds that are a priority forparticipation in cost-efficient diversity-maximising conservation programmes; and contrast the costsinvolved with the large benefits non-livestock keepers place on breed conservation.The paper concludes by highlighting the lessons learned from these studies and how these lessons cancontribute to the challenge of now applying further work of this type in contexts where the results canactively benefit livestock-keepers, and support national researchers and policy-makers.