Diversity and conservation of farm animal genetic resources in Malaysia

The farm animal genetic resources in Malaysia are quite diverse. However, species such as Banteng and Seladang are considered under threat of being extinct. These genetic resources are crucial to our future food security and sustainable development. Farm animals used to play an important role in our agriculture particularly as draught animals in paddy cultivation areas or transporting oil palm fresh fruit bunches in rough terrain. Our farm animals may be poor producers bur are well adapted to our local environment such as hot and humid tropical climatic conditions, poor feed quality and diseases which enhances greatly their survivality and sustainability in the future. Competition with major developmental activities such as urbanisation, commercialisation and major plantation crops which has slowly displaced their traditional grazing sites is a major threat to our animal genetic resources. Government agencies such as Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) have conserved some of the indigenous farm animal genetic resources such as Kedah-Kelantancattle (KK), Malin sheep and Katjang goat. It is hoped that these breed conservation programmes will provide an environment to sustain some of our local farm animals, provide a broad gene pool and genetic improvement of the breeds through structured breeding programmes. An ex situ conservation of the local farm animal genetic resources involves the cryopreservation of semen, embryos and other generic materials in gene banks set up ar Institut Biodiversiti Veterinar Kebangsaan (IBVK) in Jerantut, Pahang and the newly launched National Animal Embryo Centre (NAEC) at MARDI Research Station, Kluang, Johore. The development of strategic animal breeding programmes and implementation of genetic management is important for sustainable livestock genetic resource divetsity and conservation. Maintenance and breeding live animals will allow further diversification of the breeds while cryoconservation preserves the current genetic status.