The sustainable use, development and conservation of the world’s livestock genetic resources are of vital importance to agriculture, food production, rural development and the environment. To understand and improve the state of the world’s animal genetic resources, coordinated international efforts are necessary. Periodic assessments of the global state of these resources, and of countries’ capacities to manage them are thus required for accurate knowledge and appropriate action. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has published two such reports describing the state of the world’s animal genetic resources. The first report The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was published in 2007 and the second in 2015.[1][2] The reports were commissioned by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of FAO, with the overall objective of developing national capacities and international co-operation to achieve sustainable intensification of livestock production systems. They intend on publishing a new report every 10 years.[3]
Background leading up to First Report
In 1990, FAO’s Council recommended the preparation of a comprehensive programme for the sustainable management of animal genetic resources (AnGR) at the global level. The development of the Global Strategy for the Management of AnGR was started in 1993. In 1995 the FAO committee on Agriculture reviewed the early development process and supported the strategy and the need for additional funds to ensure further development and implementation. Additionally, the mandate of the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources within FAO was broadened to include AnGR, and is now called the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA). In 1996, the importance of AnGR and the Global Strategy were recognized at both the World Food Summit and the third meeting of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. An Ad Hoc Group of Experts on AnGR was established in January 1997 within FAO, which stressed the importance of establishing a strong intergovernmental mechanism to facilitate and promote better management of AnGR from regional to global levels. Then, at the seventh session of the (CGRFA), in May 1997, they agreed to establish a subsidiary Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in order to further develop the Global Strategy. It was this group that recommended “FAO coordinate the development of a country-driven Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources” in 1998. They also recognized the the need for preparation of guidelines, in consultation with countries to be used for data collection for the Report of the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources. Further development of the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) was recommended as a tool to assist countries in the reporting process. In 1999 CGRFA agreed with these recommendations and in March 2001, FAO invited 188 countries to submit Country Reports assessing the state of animal genetic resources at the national level. Between 2003 and 2005 a total of 169 Country Reports were received.[4] The first full draft went through a review process by international experts; it was reviewed by the Commission’s Intergovernmental Technical working group on Animal Genetic Resources at its fourth session in December 2006. The report was then finalized based on these comments of member countries of the CGRFA.
Guidelines for Country reports
The guidelines helped countries develop their country reports on their animal genetic resources, which provided the foundation for the first Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources. These guidelines were first drafted and sent to National Coordinators for AnGR for review as well as revised at a workshop involving other country experts, FAO staff and supporting consultants in September 2000. The guidelines ask countries to not only describe their resources, but also to analyze their capacity to manage them, to draw lessons from past experiences, and identify problems and priorities. Support was provided in preparing these guidelines through extensive training activities (see training pack and lists of workshops and participants). The reports were endorsed by each country’s government.
Global Assessments for the First Report
These 169 country reports, were the main input for the First Report on the State of the World’s AnGR, along with breed-related data entered by countries into the DAD-IS. This information was complemented by 9 reports from international organizations and 12 thematic studies commissioned to address specific aspects of animal genetic resources management. More than 90 authors and reviewers were involved in the preparation of the main report, which was published in November 2007, and was the first comprehensive global assessment of livestock diversity and its management.[5]
The governing fundamental strategic questions for the country reports included:
"What is the contribution of AnGR to food and agriculture development?
What is the state of the resources- both the genetic resources and the production systems?
Is production and productivity increasing, decreasing or remaining the same?
How can the contribution of AnGR to food and agriculture and rural development be enhanced- opportunities and obstacles?"[6]
In order to ensure some uniformity in the presentation of all country’s information, they were asked to provide an assessment in three major areas:
1) The state of diversity
2) The state of Country capacity to manage AnGR including existing policies, management plans, institutional infrastructures, human resources and equipment, as well as
3) The state of the art in methodologies and technologies to assist everyone better understand, use and conserve AnGR and thereby contribute to global food security and rural development.
Content of the First Report
Part 1 of the First Report begins with the origin of AnGR and the history of domestication of these livestock animals. It goes on to describe the main findings on the current state of livestock biodiversity on a global level, and the extent to which this diversity is threatened by genetic erosion. The contributions of AnGR to livelihoods and economic output in various regions of the world are also outlined.
The introduction recognizes that today’s livestock biodiversity is the result of thousands of years of human intervention and that countries and regions of the world are interdependent in their use of AnGR. A global total of 7,616 breeds was reported in 2007, which is now known to be an underestimate. Of these breeds, 20% were classified as at risk of extinction.[7] Almost one breed per month was discovered to be lost during the years 2001-2007. The world’s diversity of livestock breeds were reported as becoming increasingly limited, as well as the genetic diversity within these breeds. Genetic resistance was recognized as being increasingly important for the control of animal diseases. The report recognizes important threats to AnGR including;
- the rapid spread of homogenous large-scale intensive production
- inappropriate development of policies and management strategies
- disease outbreaks and control programmes
- various types of disasters and emergencies.[8]
Part 2 of the report covers livestock sector trends, including changes in demand, trade, the changing natural environment, advances in technology, and the nature of current policies. This section also covers the livestock sector’s response and current production systems including landless industrialized production, small-scale landless, mixed farming, and mixed irrigated systems. It concludes with implications for livestock diversity in regards to changes in the livestock sector.
Part 3 of the report describes the state of capacities in AnGR management. It covers the different institutions and stakeholders involved in management capacities, as well as breeding objectives, an overview of breeding and conservation programs by region, the reproductive and molecular biotechnology being used in every continent, the emerging legal issues, regional regulatory legislation and national policies, and finally future priorities regarding breeding and conservation programs.
Part 4 of the report focuses on the state of the art in management of AnGR, or the best tools and practices currently available for AnGR management. It reviews basic concepts of AnGR and its management, and classifies the the breeds at risk. It goes over methods and tools for characterizing breeds, such as molecular markers, bioinformatics, cryoconservation and other molecular techniques. It also goes into detail about the elements of different breeding programs in high-input and low-input systems. Resource allocation strategies for conservation, methods for economic valuation, conservation decision-support tools and research priorities are also outlined.
Part 5 addresses the needs and challenges in AnGR management. This is first achieved through an explanation of our current knowledge of AnGR, and capacity to manage these resources. It concludes with a call to accept the global responsibility for better AnGR management.
Global Plan of Action
The first report provided the basis for the development of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources.[9] In recognition of the need to develop an effective framework for the management of these resources and to address the threat of genetic erosion, 109 countries came together at the first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture held in Interlaken, Switzerland in September 2007 and adopted the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources.
The plan includes 23 strategic priorities for action to promote the wise management of these vital resources. The plan also had an extensive funding strategy, that involved proposals from many countries and selection of the best ones for implementation. The 56 country proposals for the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources were reviewed by FAO and 13 were selected for funding. The Conference also adopted the Interlaken Declaration on Animal Genetic Resources, which affirms countries’ commitment to the implementation of the Global Plan of Action and to ensure that the world’s livestock biodiversity is utilized to promote global food security and remains available to future generations.[9]
Background leading up to Second Report
Similar to how the first report provided the basis for the Global Plan of Action, the second report was created to provide the basis for a review and potential update of the Global Plan of Action. The CGRFA at its Thirteenth Regular Session in 2007, agreed that a second report should be released in 2017. In order to make the reporting process as efficient and easy as possible for countries, focus was put on updates and changes that have occurred since the first report and highlighting emerging issues. It was proposed to also describe changes that have occurred since 2007 in countries’ capacities to manage their AnGR, as well as significant gains in scientific knowledge since 2007.[10] Online questionnaire forms, similar to the ones used for the first country reports were used. It was also proposed that FAO initiate thematic studies on new and emerging issues related to the implementation of the Global Plan of Action which require particular and immediate attention. Such studies could include topics such as "climate change, genetic technologies, sustainable diets, products and markets, food security, access and benefit sharing and patenting".[11] FAO supported the process by organizing regional and sub-regional capacity-development workshops on the use of technical guidelines and the use of DAD-IS, as requested by countries. Regular communication with stakeholders was mainly through the journal Animal Genetic Resources[12] and the discussion network DAD-Net.[13][14]
The reports on animal genetic resources are part of a series of global assessments commissioned by FAO, that has so far included two reports on plant genetic resources and one on forest genetic resources.
Content of the Second Report
The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is a report published in 2015 by FAO that provides a global assessment of livestock biodiversity. The report draws information from 129 country reports, 15 reports from international organizations, and 4 reports from regional focal points and local networks for animal genetic resources.[2] The report was prepared at the request of the CGRFA. It focuses particularly on changes since 2007, when the first report was published. It provides a basis for a review and potential update of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources. The findings of the report are summarized in The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture – in brief.[15]
The report covers a wide range of topics including the current state of livestock biodiversity, trends in the livestock sector, our current capacity to manage these animal genetic resources, and what challenges remain in managing these resources effectively. The report highlights the importance of genetic diversity, as "[it] is a prerequisite for adaptation in the face of future challenges", according to the Director-General, José Graziano da Silva. Without a diverse range of genetic traits available for ex situ or in situ breeding programs, the ability of livestock to withstand changing environmental factors, such as climate change, and disease is weakened. Maintaining a pool of diverse genetic traits within all species, whether it is plants, or animals is important for a species and breed's survival; as the theory of natural selection states, survival of an organism depends on how well its genetic traits allow it to adapt to the local environment. Thus, those organisms with more resilient or better-adapted traits will thrive, while others with less resilient traits will die. Naturally, having a wider pool of these traits to choose from, means a higher chance that a more animals will survive, ultimately enabling greater food security for humans who rely on these animals.
Characterization of Animal Genetic Resources
Currently, some 38 species and 8,774 separate breeds of domesticated birds and mammals are used in agriculture and food production. So far, we have not faced much pressure for use of already extinct breeds. However, 17% of the world’s farm animal breeds are at risk of extinction and 58% are of unknown risk status. This is alarming, because in order to meet future challenges, such as climate change, new diseases, competition for land and water, as well as shifting market demands, the availability and viability of livestock will be of great importance; 1 billion people rely on livestock and the demand for livestock products is projected to increase by 70% by 2050.[15] This is a projection based on the growing size of our population.
Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources
Conservation programmes for animal genetic resources have become more widespread, but their coverage remains patchy.[2] Breeding management programs, including ex situ conservation with live animal populations, and in situ conservation involving the freezing of genetic materials are commonly used in AnGR conservation. Artificial insemination banks can not be considered gene banks, as these resources can easily be depleted when breeders order more samples, and thus long-term conservation is not their main goal.
Each of the “big five” species are under some sort of breeding program in the majority of country reports. The figures are higher for cattle (90% have breeding programs) than for other species (80%). The remaining species used for food and agriculture besides horses (74%), buffaloes (58%) and Bactrian camels (80%) do not have a majority of countries reporting the presence of breeding programs.
Sustainable Use and Development
Establishing and sustaining effective livestock breeding programmes remains challenging in many countries, particularly in the low-input production systems of the developing world. On a more positive note, Livestock diversity and the sustainable management of animal genetic resources are acquiring a greater foothold on policy agendas.[2] FAO has created a web-based tool called Food and Agriculture Policy Decision Analysis (FAPDA), that has information on food and agriculture policy decisions from more than 80 countries.
Areas for Improvement
The press report has highlighted the need for a rise in national and international gene bank use. 64 countries now have a national gene bank, and an additional 41 countries are planning on implementing one, according to the report in 2015.[2] Suggestions are made for countries to improve the management of these animal genetic resources: to better understand their characteristics, and to improve education and training in order to establish breeding programmes that strengthen locally adapted breeds. The report also states the importance of better international trade management of livestock diversity, to ensure that valuable climate-change resilient traits are not compromised for traits that may be more in demand, such as high productivity. One of the threats to maintaining animal genetic diversity includes the shift towards the use of large-scale livestock production systems, that tend to use a limited number of breeds, putting livestock diversity at greater risk.[16]
With climate change having adverse effects on our environment, traits associated with resilience to harsh environments are becoming more important to conserve. In fact, many online journals have echoed the importance of maintaining the world’s animal genetic resources in the face of climate change.[17][18][19] Maintaining biodiversity is the key to being able to adapt to hazards such as floods, droughts, disease outbreaks and the effects of changing weather patterns; If there are no readily-adapted breeds available, the current livestock breeds will not be able to adapt to such drastic climate changes on such a short time-scale.[2] The report advises institutions to track changes in food production systems, in order to better predict demand for certain breeds and characteristics, as well as their future use in similar climates.
There are many complex layers to this assessment, and it took many years of work from over 90 different authors and reviewers.[20] The report's main goal was to assess the challenges we face for improving the global state of animal genetic resources, to provide countries with recommendations for overcoming these challenges, and to ultimately help ensure food security for everyone.
References
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