National governments Stakeholders for in vivo and in vitro conservation programs

Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources 29

Chapter 2. Strategies for moving from conservation to utilisation

Gustavo Gandini 1 and Kor Oldenbroek 2 1 Department of Veterinary Sciences and Technologies for Food Safety, University of Milan, Via Celoria, 10, 20133 Milan, Italy 2 Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands, P.O. Box 16, 6700AA Wageningen, he Netherlands Questions that will be answered in this chapter: What are the objectives for the conservation and utilisation of farm animal genetic resources? Which techniques are available for conservation? Which options do we have for a sustainable use of local breeds? Which material should be stored in cryobanks? Do conservation strategies difer in costs? How to choose the most appropriate conservation strategy? Summary his chapter irst introduces a general framework extending from cryoconservation to sustainable utilisation, in which in situ and ex situ techniques difer in their capacity to reach the various conservation objectives. For in situ conservation diferent options for maintaining self-sustaining local breeds are discussed. Some relevant aspects of ex situ conservation related to the creation of cryobanks, including selection of donor animals and the type and amount of material to be stored, are analysed as a function of the conservation objectives. In reviewing the scarce literature on costs, the chapter provides a general framework to compare costs of the diferent strategies for animal genetic resources management. Finally, some criteria to choose the most appropriate conservation strategy for a breed in its breeding environment are proposed.

1. Objectives in conservation and utilisation of farm animal genetic resources

he many-faceted character of farm animal genetic resources relects a variety of possible objectives in their utilisation and conservation by society, and these can be summarised into two main objectives: • • • • • • 30 Utilisation and conservation of farm animal genetic resources Gustavo Gandini and Kor Oldenbroek 1. Flexibility of the genetic system based on diferent arguments: insurance against changes in market or environmental conditions; safeguard against emerging diseases, political instability and natural disasters; opportunities for research. In this view farm animal genetic resources are sources of genetic variation of fundamental importance to ensure future genetic improvement, to satisfy possible future changes in the markets and in the production environment, and to safeguard against disasters that give an acute loss of genetic resources. 2. Sustainable utilisation of rural areas: opportunities for development for rural communities; maintenance of agro-ecosystem diversity; maintenance of rural cultural diversity. In fact, in many parts of the world breeds particularly adapted to extreme environments are unique sources of income for the rural communities. he link between local breeds and the environment where they were developed sometimes makes them important elements of cultural diversity, as they relect a history of symbiosis of relatively long periods with mankind, and key components of the agro-ecosystems diversity. A world wide analysis shows that in diferent areas of the world stakeholders will assign diferent rankings to these components. In the poor areas, the element of farm animal genetic resources as income tool for the rural communities is of major importance. he cultural component will play a stronger role for example in the European context as historical witnesses and opportunity for rural tourism, while in African countries it can contribute in maintaining the identity of human communities. To manage farm animal genetic resources appropriately, and to get commitment from the society for conservation, we need to develop parameters to measure the non- conventional services of the breeds, such as their possible cultural and environmental roles. A methodology to measure the cultural dimension of local breeds is reported in Box 2.1. For conventional goods and services, markets provide the information to estimate their economic value Roosen et al., 2005. However, the cultural, environmental and insurance roles of the resources generally are not recognised by the market, therefore they need to be valued by using speciic techniques, as we will briely discuss in paragraph 3.1. • • • • • •