World watch list for domestic animal diversity released
Animal disease mapping (ANDIMAP) for display and analysis of animal disease data
Regional firsts in FAO's special action programme for animal genetic resources
Animal Production and Health Division - Division de la production et de la santé animales - Dirección de Producción y Sanidad Animal
The first edition of World watch list for domestic animal diversity has recently been prepared and published by FAO from its emerging Global Data Bank for Animal Genetic Resources. Of the 2 928 breeds of eight domestic animal species used in world agriculture and currently recorded in the data bank, information on population size exists for 1671 breeds. Of these, 448 - or almost 28 percent have been classified as being at risk of extinction based on the classification categories developed last year by FAO's Expert Consultation on the Management of Global Animal Genetic Resources. In simple terms, it is assumed that 10 percent of these breeds will become extinct over the next year - or about one breed per week.
The World watch list outlines how the lists and summary information can be used by governments and other parties. It comments on the operational components of conservation, including active utilization of indigenous breeds, and provides brief descriptions of these breeds at risk by species, region and country. Copies may be obtained from the Animal Production and Health Division of FAO, Rome.
Tabulated data, stored in DBase, have been integrated in an ILWIS (Integrated Land and Water Information System)-GIS (Geographical Information System) package to assist FAO's Screwworm Emergency Centre for Northern Africa (SECNA). As a result, fly traps to catch Cochliomyia hominivorax can now be shown on the map of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to aid in the eradication scheme. Recently, the FAO Animal Health Service furthered the system by linking it to CD-ROM Digital Charge of the World, supplied by the United States Defense Mapping Agency. Users of ILWIS, which was developed by the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences, Enschede, the Netherlands, may now integrate this information source with field-collected and other data on animal diseases.
The recommendations of the April 1992 Expert Consultation on the Management of Global Animal Genetic Resources have been accepted by the Member Governments of FAO and are now being implemented as a Special Action Programme. To achieve an effective and sustainable global programme for the management of animal genetic resources and to conserve domestic animal diversity, a global operation incorporating greater efforts at the regional and national levels will be essential. Implementation is now under way, as exemplified by the following three events, the funding and execution of the first regional umbrella project and the organization of two major symposiums, both firsts for a region and a nation.
First regional project in animal genetic resources for Asia. FAO is now executing a regional umbrella project for the management of animal genetic resources, initially covering 12 countries in Asia and the Pacific Region. The project is funded through FAO by the Government of Japan and its centre of operations will be in Bangkok, Thailand.
Collectively, regional umbrella projects will play a major role in ensuring the success of the global programme, by facilitating and coordinating national plans for the management of animal genetic resources. Implementation at the regional level will be staged to help provide strength and continuity. The 12 countries involved in this first stage of the Asia project are Bhutan, the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The regional projects will complete the inventory and initial descriptions in FAO's Global Data Bank for Animal Genetic Resources for all breeds of domestic animals in the region; assist with planning and initiating project identification and formulation missions for the region; implement a regional network and the regional component of the Global Information System for Domestic Animal Diversity once the first stage is completed; and assist with collating and coordinating national action plans into a regional action plan as components of the Global Action - Plan for Conservation of Domestic Animal Diversity as required by Agenda 21.
Symposium on animal genetic resources in Latin America. In recognition of the ever increasing importance given to animal genetic resources in sustainable animal production systems, a symposium on this subject took place on 29 July 1993 during the 13th Annual Meeting of the Latin American Association for Animal Production (ALPA) at the Catholic University of Chile in Santiago. This first symposium was sponsored by ALPA, FAO and the Latin American Network on Animal Genetic Resources (REGENAL) and was attended by more than 100 individuals from different Latin American countries, the United States and Europe.
Presentations covered various aspects of animal genetic resources conservation and management from regional and global points of view. Topics included the status of animal genetic resources in Latin America; global concern for animal genetic resources; monitoring of animal genetic resources as related to Latin America; genetic resources and sustainable production systems; and Spanish animal genetic resources and their relationship to Latin American indigenous cattle. There was also a contribution on heterogeneous genetic variance in animal evaluation. Speakers included representatives from FAO, Rome; the National Research Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology/Brazilian Agricultural Research Enterprise (CENARGEN/EMBRAPA), Brazil; North Carolina State University, United States; Ministry of Agriculture of Spain; Tropical Agricultural Research and Training Centre (CATIE), Costa Rica; and the University of Wisconsin, United States.
All presentations highlighted the significant advances-that have been made as well as the global challenges faced, and they also outlined the direction and action required to ensure that Latin America, as any other part of the world, does not lose the remaining genetic resources. The need for the region to assess its resources in order to better define an adequate conservation and management strategy was also stressed. The importance of developing further FAO's global data bank on animal genetic resources and those of countries contributing relevant information was emphasized. While significant efforts have been made in the region to define and promote projects pertaining to domestic animal genetic resources, few countries have been able to consolidate their national programmes.
The round-table discussion generated a useful and rich exchange of ideas among all present and highlighted national concerns, particularly the need to develop and promote a regional programme for animal genetic resources covering poultry, pigs, cattle, camelids, sheep and goats.
First conservation symposium in Brazil. The first Brazilian Symposium on the Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources was held over four days during the 30th annual meeting of the Brazilian Society of Animal Science (SBZ) from 18 to 23 July 1993 in Rio de Janeiro. The symposium was supported by FAO, strongly promoted by SBZ and coordinated by a researcher from EMBRAPA who is also the regional coordinator of an FAO project aiming to implement a regional animal gene bank for Latin America in Brazil.
The symposium involved 14 contributions and considerable time was provided for discussion. It was attended by between 80 and 100 participants from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The status of the subregional work, aimed at best utilizing and maintaining its wide range of genetic resources over the longer term, was considered in the context of the new FAO global programme for the management of domestic animal diversity. Most of the unique Brazilian breeds of animals are the result of the adaptation processes that have occurred since a range of species were introduced into Latin America by Portuguese and Spanish settlers some 400 to 500 years ago.
This symposium provided the first opportunity for virtually all researchers concerned with the development and maintenance of the Brazilian conservation nuclei, established for each of the breeds currently at risk of extinction, to meet with other experts to exchange information on progress and plans. In addition to providing a unique opportunity to consider how to improve strategies for the conservation of the large range of breeds, the symposium also served to increase the awareness of the audience of the high risk of extinction threatening much of this irreplaceable domestic animal diversity.
