The rationale for conserving breeds of livestock may be extended to free-living populations which are descended from domestic stock (= feral). An important management difference is that feral animals are not maintained as fixed breeds, but are free to vary and adapt. Many feral populations are pests, and threaten the status of native flora and fauna. This means that they continue to diminish as a result of control operations. Nevertheless, some populations and herds of goats, cattle, horses, sheep and pigs have now been protected. Positive values of commercial and scientific Interest are emerging as animals of feral extraction are studied. Further work is needed to assess the contribution that feral animals can make to the cause of conserving genetic diversity in the world's livestock.

Le Burkina Faso, avec plus de 11 millions de petits ruminants et près de 4 millions de bovins 2 (MAE, 1990) pour un territoire essentiellement sahélien de 274 00 km, est un pays exportateur de bétail. On estime la contribution des produits du bétail à 27% de la valeur de l'ensemble des produits agricoles. L'élevage occupe donc une place de choix dans les activités de la population. Avec le dernier recensement de 1989 (MAE, 1990), on connaît à peu prèsles effectifs du cheptel; cependant, on peut estimer que peu de travaux ont porté sur la description des races locales. Ces travaux sont surtout ceux de Doutressoulle (1947), Dumas et Raymond (1975), et Bourzat (1979).Les données présentées ici proviennent donc essentiellement des sources suscitées; pour certains aspects (taux de croissance) les chiffres proviennent de la cellule statistique du Ministère Délégué aux Ressources Animales (MDCRA, 1991) et de l'Etude prospective du sous-secteur élevage (MAE, 1991).

En el presente trabajo se detallan los avances logrados en la recuperación del Bovino Criollo Patagónico a partir de una población asilvestrada, ubicada en el Parque Nacional“Los Glaciares”. Además, se informa de los primeros resultados experimentales obtenidos a partir de los animales extraidos de diferentes sectores de dicho Parque y que hoy se encuentran emplazados en establecimientos privados fuera del área protegida.

The Iceland goat is a rare, isolated breed of Nordic origin dating back to the settlement of Iceland over 1 100 years ago. There is no evidence of goat imports since that time and the only goats which have been exported were a group of six included in a cashmere breeding programme in Scotland in 1986. Historical evidence and records from 1703 onwards, show that goats have been kept in all parts of the country, albeit in small numbers. This goat population was on the verge of extinction a century ago and reached a maximum of nearly 3 000 in 1930. At present there are 370 winterfed goats in 47 flocks located across the country. The goats are mainly kept as pets and are highly inbred. Efforts are being made to market the meat in a few food stores and restaurants, the skins for book binding and the milk as a health product, on a small scale. The cashmere, however, has so far not been harvested for marketing. A state conservation grant, available for individually recorded goats since the late 1960s, has contributed to the maintenance of this endangered breed. Generally, goats are found to be susceptible to the same diseases as sheep in Iceland. However, scrapie has never been diagnosed in goats.

A study was carried out to estimate the population of the Sonadi breed of sheep in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan (India), which is part of a major breeding tract of the Sonadi breed. A total of 2 443 sheep from 59 flocks of 18 villages belonging to three different tehsils of Chittorgarh were covered in this survey. The population data on sheep from livestock census (1992) were collected and the figures were extrapolated for the purpose. The population of Sonadi sheep in their natural habitat was estimated to be 603 984 while the total sheep population of the tract was 1 792 050. The estimated number of breeding rams available in the natural habitat were 45 907 out of which only 1 I 802 were of the Sonadi breed. There was a higher proportion of crossbred sheep and an even higher proportion of crossbred rams in the breeding tract as compared to the purebreds. It has been postulated that a proportion of cross bred sheep would further increase which coûld be a threat to the Sonadi breed in a real sense. It has been emphasized that steps for conservation are warranted.

Selection of meat goat breeds and crossing for meat production provides food a nd is a source of self sufficiency for man. The following four goat breeds are examples of meat production of, Manjiang yellow, Matou, Longling and Hual goat breeds. Recently, it was reported that the quantity of meat output was increased and quality of meat was improved of the local goats in some areas by crossing with Nanjing, Matou and Longling. The Huai breed is a very important breed for producing high quality meat and hides' It is also -noted for its high prolificacy. The natural environments of China are well suited for goat production. Most of its harsher environments can be utilized efficiently only by goats. Especially southern agricultural region and northern agricultural regions develop and use the meat goat breeds as genetic resources for adaptation and production of unique and economically important meat products, and as a complement to cattle or sheep production.

A conservation area in Jiangsu Province, China, has been established for the conservation of the Hu sheep, famous for its early sexual maturity and high reproductive rate as well as its beautifully patterned white-wool coat. Local farmers well experienced in raising these sheep are responsible for pure breeding under the control of-administrative and technical units which have been specially created for this purpose. The conservation area is in the main orange and loquat-growing district of the Province. Manure is used to fertilize the trees-and together with the production of meat from culled sheep and the sale of lambskins, the enterprise is economically viable.

Resources available for animal genetic conservation should be used judiciously. Thus breeds qualifying for conservation should not only be numerically endangered but also possess genetic merit. In determining genetic merit, future changes in market requirements or production systems should be considered. There is an urgent need for an evaluation of the present commercial value of rare breeds in breeding programmes. Support for rare breed preservation in Great Britain is implemented through conservation programmes, evaluation studies and education at different levels.

When FAO published a major work in 1974 (Ross Cockrill), reviewing for the first time the then existing information relating to the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), Sir John Grenfell E Crawford, the Vice Chancellor of the Australian National University, introduced it by unr' rlining that “among all farming livestock which science had neglected, the domestic buffalo served as an outstanding example of genera failure to recognise and exploit its production potential” Since then a world-wide interest has developed in this species, not only as a purveyor of anima protein for human consumption, but also because of a growing interest in the diversification of products of animal origin and the manufacture of typical regiona products as well as a variety of renewed uses of these animals. Furthermore, the strong image linking the buffalo with nature and the environment's ecological equilibrium, particularly in some of the world's more marginal lands, shows this species as one of the most viable alternatives of intensive cattle husbandry systems which are more and more under accusation in an environment-conscious society.

As part of the country-driven strategy for the management of animal genetic resources, FAO invited 188 countries to participate in the preparation of the First Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources. Utilizing the information provided in the 148 country reports ready for analysis in July 2005, this paper presents a global overview of the state of capacity and utilization of reproductive and molecular biotechnologies in the management of animal genetic resources. Regional descriptions outline the distribution of different biotechnologies, along with a discussion of the species and breed focus of their use, and stakeholder involvement in service delivery. Unsurprisingly, there is a big gap in biotechnology use between developed and developing countries, with artificial insemination being the technology most widely applied in developing countries. More complex technologies such as embryo transfer and molecular tools, are even less common in developing countries. Use of biotechnologies is in general biased towards cattle, and examples of the application of biotechnologies in the management of locally adapted breeds are limited. Most developing countries express the wish to increase the utilization of biotechnologies. However, in many cases clear plans for incorporating technologies into animal genetic resource management are lacking.

En este trabajo se describen las iniciativas de conservación de la oveja de raza Xalda de Asturias. Es una oveja de pequeño tamaño, y de color predominantemente negro que presenta gran similitud morfológica con otras razas ovinas del Arco Atlántico Europeo como la Ouessant o la Morite. En 1992 se funda la asociación de criadores de la raza (ACOXA) y comienza el funcionamiento del Libro Genealógico. Durante la última década la actividad de ACOXA ha estado centrada en la recuperación de individuos aislados fomentando su cría en raza pura. Se ha realizado un análisis de la información genealógica contenida en el Libro Genealógico detectándose el excesivo uso de algunos reproductores que puede provocar una pérdida de variabilidad genética en la población. A partir de estos resultados parece necesario llevar a cabo estrategias de apareamientos que aseguren el mantenimiento del patrimonio genético de la raza.

The narrowing of the genetic base is of major concern to many cattle breeders and this is a consequence of a small effective population size and an increase in the inbreeding coefficient in cattle populations. Studies of pedigrees of cattle populations found in Canada showed that the effective population size and rate of inbreeding over a 12-year period (1983–94) were 123 and 0.412 percent for Canadienne, 975 and 0.054 percent for Brown Swiss, and 2 183 and 0.024 percent for Jersey cattle populations. Over the same period, the year to year trends in inbreeding coefficients based on co-ancestry was 0.11 percent for Canadienne and 0.07 percent for Brown Swiss cattle populations, and 0.37 percent for Holstein bulls used by the artificial insemination industry. Inbreeding was not found to be a major problem in any of the populations examined. However, only 10 bulls of their respective breed sired 61 percent of the Canadienne, 21 percent of the Brown Swiss, and 29 percent of the Jersey cattle populations, and 41 percent of the Holstein bulls in the bull studs. More and more breeders are demanding proven sires to increase milk production from fewer cows resulting in the narrowing of the genetic base of the national cattle populations. Newer technology that provides precise genetic modification could further contribute to the narrowing of the genetic base compromising the ability to sustain current production and respond to changing markets in the long-term.

The Criollo horse bred in Uruguay is a direct descendant of the Andalusian horses that were brought to America by the Spanish conquerors. It is not an isolated population. Ever since its coming into existence it has been related to the other populations of the southern countries of South America (Chile, Argentina and Uruguay). It is adapted to the most divergent regions of the continent, evolving through natural selection into a versatile breed, suited in particular for farm work because of its endurance, courage and capacity for recuperation.

At the beginning of this century, its existence was endangered because of the tendency of crossing with European breeds. Around this time, breeder organisations appeared in various countries and with them the standardisation of the Criollo horse as a breed. From this moment on, its growth was well maintained and constant, and today it is also being bred in Germany and Italy.

La race bovine marocaine Blonde d'Oulmès-Zaër, race traditionnelle et originale du Moyen-Atlas, est exploitée pour son lait et sa viande en conditions difficiles. Comptant 8000 vaches environ dans les communes de Boukachmir et d'Oulmès, dans la province de Khemisset, elle est l'objet d'un programme de conservation et d'amélioration génétique cohérent pouvant servir de point de départ à la revitalisation de cette région attachante.

The recently published World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity (WWL-DAD) provides the first comprehensive list of endangered livestock breeds worldwide (FAO/LTNEP 1993). This document will function as a global early warning system to help prevent the erosion of livestock genetic resources. Seven species are covered, namely ass, buffalo, cattle, goat, horse, pig and sheep. Within these species, breeds at risk are defined as critical (The Critical Breeds List) or endangered (The Endangered Breeds List) based on the number of breeding females. Although the statistics for these seven species are still incomplete at the time of going to press, over 390 breeds are already known to be at risk.

The feral cattle, currently numbering 33, which inhabit the Orkney island of Swona, are described. Their behaviour while foraging for seaweed is compared with thatof sheep, and aspects of their social behaviour and population structure are compared with what has been observed among the Chillingham white cattle.

In cattle, reduced reproductive efficiency of beef and milk production systems is attributed to nutritional factors, health, climate changes and ultimately to genetic characteristics of animals. However, under warm humid tropics genetic variations between breeds could reduce age first calving, calving interval and increase the life of cows. Sanmartinero and Casanareño creole breeds can improve cattle production due to the contribution of genetic variants that emerged in the process of adaptation to the harsh conditions of the Colombian Orinoqia. Currently, genes with known biological function are used as molecular markers to estimate livestock genetic diversity parameters, facilitating the identification and location of genetic loci within the genome that encode or regulate the expression of traits of economic interest. In Colombia Romosinuano cattle candidate genes of the Growth hormone / Insulin growth factor axis have been identified and are positively associated with age at first calving, calving interval, longevity and protection of the embryo growth to heat stress. However, native Colombian bovine breeds such as Casanareño and Sanmartinero, which are empirically recognized by having those characteristic, have not been subjected to those genetic analysis for candidate genes that may allow to promote added value to animals. The aim of this review is to document some reproductive and genetic parameters of Sanmartinero and Casanareño bovine brees that may give support the need to conduct molecular studies and justify their use in beef and milk production systems in the Colombian Orinoquia.