GENETIC RESOURCE BANKS IN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Recent advances in reproductive technologies for animal breeding, toge ther with improvements in techniques for storage of gametes and embryo s, have encouraged the view that the time is now appropriate for devel oping systematic policies of germplasm banking. Such activities would aim to support more conventional breeding programmes for threatened sp ecies, by providing the opportunity to store valuable genetic material for use on some future occasion. A number of pertinent issues should be addressed, however, before embarking upon the large scale implement ation of genetic bank programmes. This review raises and discusses som e of the issues involved.