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Threats to animal genetic resources for food and agriculture – approaches to recording, description, classification and analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2010

D. Pilling
D. Pilling*
Affiliation:
Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
*
Correspondence to: D. Pilling, Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. email: Dafydd.Pilling@fao.org
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Summary

Numerous threats to animal genetic resources for food and agriculture (AnGR) have been described in the literature. Yet knowledge regarding the threats facing particular breeds and production systems is patchy and often unavailable to relevant stakeholders. Lack of knowledge about threats often goes hand in hand with a more general lack of knowledge about the characteristics, use, management and distribution of livestock breeds. The study of threats should be an integral part of national surveying and monitoring strategies for AnGR. Field surveys are an opportunity to draw upon the knowledge of livestock keepers and other local stakeholders and to map breed distributions. Insights from the field should be integrated, together with information on economic trends, policy developments and the distribution of risks associated with epidemics and other disasters, into a broader understanding of threats. If a large-scale survey of stakeholder opinion is envisaged, it is important to be clear about the objectives of the exercise when designing any classification framework to be used for data collection and analysis. Analysis of threats should aim not only to record the presence or absence of particular threats but also to provide a better understanding of their spatial and temporal dynamics and how they are affected by context (location, production environment, human attitudes and objectives, etc.).

Résumé

De nombreuses menaces aux ressources zoogénétiques pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture ont été décrites dans bon nombre de publications. Pourtant, les connaissances relatives aux menaces auxquelles sont confrontés certaines races et systèmes de production particuliers sont incomplètes et souvent pas disponibles aux parties intéressées. Ce manque de connaissances relatives aux menaces va souvent de pair avec un manque plus généralisé de connaissances en matière de caractéristiques, d'utilisation, de gestion et de distribution des races d'animaux d’élevage. L’étude des menaces devrait faire partie intégrante des stratégies nationales d'enquête et de suivi sur les ressources zoogénétiques. Les enquêtes sur le terrain offrent la possibilité de puiser dans les connaissances des éleveurs et des autres parties prenantes locales et de cartographier la distribution des races. Les idées issues du terrain devraient être intégrées, ainsi que les informations sur les évolutions économiques, sur les développements des politiques et sur la distribution des risques liés aux épidémies et à d'autres catastrophes, à une compréhension plus élargie des menaces. Si l'on prévoit d'entreprendre une enquête à grande échelle sur les opinions des parties prenantes, il est important d’établir clairement les objectifs de cet exercice lors de la conception de tout cadre de classification à utiliser pour la collecte et l'analyse des données. L'analyse des menaces devrait viser non seulement l'enregistrement de la présence ou de l'absence de menaces particulières, mais également une meilleure compréhension de leurs dynamiques spatiales et temporelles et des façons dont elles sont affectées par le contexte (emplacement, environnement de production, et comportements et objectifs des êtres humains, etc.).

Resumen

En la literatura aparecen descritas numerosas amenazas de los recursos zoogenéticos para la alimentación y la agricultura (AnGR, por sus siglas en inglés). Todavía el grado de conocimiento acerca de las amenazas que afrontan determinadas razas y sistemas de producción es incompleto y frecuentemente no está al alcance de los diferentes agentes implicados. La falta de conocimiento sobres las amenazas a menudo va de la mano con la falta de conocimiento más general sobre las características, utilización, gestión y distribución de las razas de ganado. El estudio de las amenazas debe ser una parte integral de las encuestas y de las estrategias de seguimiento nacionales para los AnGR. Las encuestas de campo representan una oportunidad para recurrir al conocimiento de los propietarios del ganado y otros agentes locales implicados, y diseñar el mapa de la distribución de la raza. Las percepciones del campo deben ser integradas, además de con la información sobre las tendencias económicas, desarrollo de políticas y la distribución de los riesgos asociados con las epidemias y otros desastres, en una comprensión más profunda de las amenazas. Si se prevé una encuesta a gran escala para conocer la opinión de los agentes implicados, es importante tener claro los objetivos del ejercicio a la hora de diseñar clasificaciones en el marco de trabajo para ser usadas en la recopilación y análisis de datos. El análisis de las amenazas debe perseguir no sólo registrar la presencia o ausencia de amenazas particulares, sino también proporcionar una mejor comprensión de sus movimientos, desde el punto de vista espacial y temporal, y como se ve afectados por el contexto (localización, producción medioambiental, y actitud humana y objetivos, etc.).

Keywords

threatanimal genetic resourcessurveyclassificationmenaceressources zoogénétiquesenquêteclassificationamenazarecursos zoogenéticosencuestaclasificación
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Genetic Resources/Resources génétiques animales/Recursos genéticos animales , Volume 47 , July 2010 , pp. 11 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2010

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