The second report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
The Second Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PDF) was published in 2015 by FAO. According to the report some 17 percent (1,458) of the world’s farm animal breeds are currently at risk of extinction, while the risk status of many others (58 percent) is simply unknown due to a lack of data on the size and structure of their populations. Nearly 100 livestock breeds have gone extinct between 2000 and 2014. Some of the key findings of the report are that livestock diversity is important to improve the adaptation capabilities and resilience of production systems to future climate challenges; that roles and values of genetic resources remain diverse, especially in poor people’s livelihoods; and that the impact of livestock-sector trends are increasingly impacting the animal genetic resources. The report stresses that the world’s livestock diversity remains at risk and that institutional frameworks for the management of animal genetic resources needs to be improved.
The report serves as an update of the first report (PDF) The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, published in 2007.
Also see this expert opinion of José Gariano da Silva, Director-General of FAO, where he argues that livestock diversity is critical for future food security and this news article of FAO.