Animal Genetic Resources are of immense importance to mankind, since they comprise the domestic livestock and birds which provide food, fibre and work, as well as contributing other products and benefits for human welfare throughout the world. The Conservation and Management of Animal Genetic Resources is therefore of concern to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). These two organizations have been working together in recent years to design and apply an appropriate strategy for application at national, regional and global levels which will both improve the immediate productivity of domestic animals and birds and also preserve the valuable, but currently unused breeds for posterity.
In 1983, FAO and UNEP created an Expert Panel
of 36 eminent scientists to advise on
Animal Genetic Resources Conservation and Management. The first meeting was
held in Rome in October 1983, at which work in progress was evaluated, and
recommendations made for the next few years. The meeting addressed 4 topics:
Conservation by management
Animal genetic resources data banks
Training methods in animal genetic resources
Cryogenic storage of germplasm and genetic engineering
The Proceedings of the meeting, with the full texts of the working papers presented and subsequently amended by the authors, are now published in two parts. This is Part 1 and contains the papers presented in the first three topic areas. Part 2 contains the papers in the section on Cryogenic storage of germplasm and genetic engineering. A short Report on the meeting containing summaries of the papers and the recommendations has already been published in English, French and Spanish. Parts 1 and 2 of the Proceedings and the Report are available from FAO Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, or from the official FAO sales agents.
The Proceedings provide an overview of the work currently in progress and visualized for the near future. Those wishing to keep in touch with the ongoing work are invited to send their name and address to FAO at the above address, for regular receipt of Animal Genetic Resources Information (AGRI), a newsletter published twice a year, and sent free of charge to all concerned with the conservation, management or utilization of domestic animals and birds.