The guinea pig is a rodent mammal native to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia in the Andes, where it has always had a close relationship with the pre-Inca people, either as a food source, high in protein and low in fat or as an animal associated with traditions maintained to the present day. Since ancient times, guinea pig breeding has traditionally been carried out in small spaces inside the kitchens of rural farming families, near the stove. To meet rural households' need for income, a commercial production system has been established and has introduced improved strains/breeds which have spread throughout the Andean region, almost completely absorbing the native guinea pig. On the other hand, since the sixteenth century the guinea pig has gained in popularity around the world as a pet, for exhibition purposes, or as a laboratory animal. In this paper, a literature review has been undertaken to compile and disclose the main issues concerning the guinea pig and the Andean population, with the aim of creating awareness of the importance of conserving local genetic resources and providing a starting point for future research.

The Nigerian indigenous pigs (NIP) are threatened to lose their genetic diversity through unsustainable farming practices in Nigeria. Therefore, the genetic relationships of NIP and commercially developed cross-bred pigs were evaluated to pinpoint a possible source of pure uncontaminated genetic stocks of NIP for conservation. Blood protein polymorphisms were used as a preliminary genetic analysis of blood samples from a total of 120 pigs (79 NIP from three separate locations and 41 cross-bred pigs). Nineteen polymorphic bands of the blood proteins globulin, transferrin and albumin were observed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and a phylogenetic dendrogram was developed to analyse the genetic relationship between the NIPs. The three NIPs were found to have a high genetic similarity (84 percent similarity coefficient), and were found to be distinctly different from the commercially cross-bred strains. One line from a farm in Ogbooro, Saki Oyo, Nigeria was identified as a relatively stable genetic resource that may be a suitable NIP for future conservation efforts.

The loss of biodiversity has become a major environmental issue during the course of the twentieth century. Numerous indigenous farm animal breeds have been replaced by commercial breeds in agricultural production processes in industrialized countries, sometimes resulting in complete breed loss and at other times placing the breed in an endangered status. Loss of breeds occurs mainly due to the striving for more intensive production, which often means that indigenous farm animal breeds are kept in conventional production only in marginal agricultural areas. One such endangered breed is the Yakutian Cattle, an indigenous Siberian cattle breed that is kept in the Russian Far East. The cattle have a low output but valuable characteristics that confer adaptation to the northern environment. This article addresses the socio-cultural and political context of conservation of the cattle at different levels in society. The conservation of animal genetic resources is embedded in the international agenda, and the Russian Federation has ratified conventions to protect them. The conservation is de facto organized at the republic level. The local communities carry out the conservation in practice by keeping and maintaining the cattle, although the conservation was initiated by the scientific community. We suggest that the conservation of Yakutian Cattle is based on national and local interests, rather than on global conventions on biological or cultural diversity. Furthermore, the reasons for conservation are different at different levels, which constitute both an advantage and a challenge for the future.

This paper reviews the current situation of conservation activities in Europe. It includes an overview of the current situation of the relevant policy measures and related activities, the involvement of the public and private sector, and funding and estimated benefits of these actions. The review is based on the results of a survey conducted within the European National Coordinators for the management of animal genetic resources (AnGR), initiated by the GLOBALDIV project. The objective of this review is to bring to the attention of policy-makers and European Commission the conclusions and recommendations as a contribution to the formulation of future policies. The increasing awareness to the importance of AnGR biodiversity is reflected in the responses to this survey, particularly in the issues related to the cryoconservation activities in the different countries and the discussion on the expected benefits of the implementation of conservation programmes. The concept of biodiversity as a public good has already been accepted by European public and by policy-makers. The additional scope of protection of farm animal biodiversity, as an investment in the future food security, needs to be reflected in the future policies.

Many countries have implemented cryoconservation to help better manage their animal genetic resources (AnGR). Multicountry gene banks may have a role in an international effort for the management of AnGR. To better assess such activities, the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on AnGR of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture invited the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to report on the status of national and international programmes for storage of AnGR. FAO thus implemented a survey on this topic in January 2010. The questionnaire comprised 16 questions on various matters related to AnGR conservation, including multinational gene banks. Valid responses were received from 166 persons from 90 countries. Many countries practise AnGR conservation, with in situ programmes being the most common. The number of cryoconservation programmes is about half the number of in situ programmes for most livestock species. Fully operational gene banks were reported in about 20 percent of the countries, and plans for a gene bank within 5 years were indicated in an additional 50 percent of the countries. Lack of financial support and low priority in national livestock policy were the most commonly cited obstacles for gene banking. Very few multinational gene banks were reported, but interest in such activities was high. Aversion to multicountry gene banks was noted in only about 10 percent of countries. Among the factors contributing to the paucity of multicountry AnGR gene banks are a lack of funding, regulations on international exchange of genetic material and a lack of consensus on procedures for the operation of gene banks.

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.).

The first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture adopted the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, the first ever international framework for the promotion of the wise management of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture, endorsed by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations member countries. The adoption of the Global Plan of Action has created unprecedented momentum for promoting the sustainable use, development and conservation of the world's livestock diversity. This article describes the first steps that countries have taken in its implementation.