Ch. 6— Maintaining Animal Diversity Offsite * 143 



Table 6-1.— General Guidelines for Intervention 

 To Conserve Natural Populations 



Likelihood 

 of extinction 



Number of 

 animals 



Action 



Possible 



Probable 



fewer than 

 100,000 



fewer than 

 10,000 



Certain 



Imminent 



fewer than 

 1,000 



fewer than 

 500 



At least, serious surveillance 

 of status and trends should 

 be initiated 



Well-managed captive propa- 

 gation programs should be 

 established; reproductive 

 technology research should 

 be vigorously conducted; 

 and germinal tissues should 

 be collected for storage 

 while there are an adequate 

 number of animals to use as 

 founders, subjects, and 

 donors 



Offsite programs should be 

 intensified while onsite ef- 

 forts are fortified for a "last 

 stand"; offsite programs are 

 imperative 



Offsite programs become as 

 important as onsite efforts 



SOURCE: D.R. Notter and T.J. Foose. "Concepts and Strategies To Maintain 

 Domestic and Wild Animal Germ Plasm." OTA commissioned paper, 

 1985. 



individuals, e.g., the California condor, can 

 be avoided by taking action before extinc- 

 tion is imminent; and 

 3. if techniques for semen and embryo pres- 

 ervation are not well developed, material 

 can be made available for experimentation. 



For the rare breed of a domestic species, iden- 

 tifying candidates for conservation involves 

 assessment of uniqueness, potential economic 

 contribution, and degree of endangerment. 

 Monitoring the status of domestic animal 

 breeds used for food and fiber production is 

 somewhat coordinated by the Food and Agri- 

 culture Organisation of the United Nations, un- 



der the auspices of the United Nations Envi- 

 ronment Programme. Regional efforts are 

 directed by the European Association for Ani- 

 mal Production, the Society for the Advance- 

 ment of Breeding Researchers in Asia and 

 Oceania, the InterAfrican Bureau for Animal 

 Resources, the International Livestock Centre 

 for Africa, and the Asociacion Latinoamericana 

 de Produccion Animal (12). Comparable efforts 

 in North America have been less comprehen- 

 sive and limited to private organizations such 

 as the American Minor Breeds Conservancy. 



At least 700 unique strains of cattle, sheep, 

 pigs, and horses have been identified in Eur- 

 ope alone, and 241 of these are considered en- 

 dangered, under the criteria detailed in table 

 6-2 (30). Public support for maintenance of all 

 these breeds is not feasible, and choices will 

 have to be made. Two considerations have been 

 suggested for choosing among competing do- 

 mestic breeds (39]: 



1. the breed exists as a closed population, and 

 a similar population does not exist else- 

 where; or 



2. the breed exhibits a specific genetic value, 

 such as superiority in some production 

 trait, the existence of a major gene (i.e., a 

 gene with a known effect on some physio- 

 logical characteristic), or the expression of 

 a unique characteristic of potential im- 

 portance. 



In the selection of threatened breeds, charac- 

 terization and evaluation are critical first steps 

 (35). Ideally, breeds would be assessed in their 

 native environments and would be evaluated 

 as both pure breeds and as crosses with other 

 indigenous and improved breeds. This evalua- 



Table 6-2.— Criteria for Classifying Domestic Breeds as Endangered 



Number of active fern 



Number of active males Stable population Deer 



fewer than 20 fewer than 1,000 



fewer than 20 fewer than 500 



fewer than 20 fewer than 500 



fewer than 20 fewer than 200 



^Ttie risks associated with a decreasing population were deemed to be greater ttian those associated with a stable population. Therefore, larger numbers were suggested 

 for a decreasing population. 



SOURCE; Adapted from K. f^^aijala, A.V. Cherekaez, J.M. Devillard, Z. Reklewski, G. Rognoni, D.L. Simon, and D.E. Steane. "Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources 

 in Europe, Final Report of an E.A.A.P. Working Party," Livestock Production Science 11:3-22, 1984. 



