J. Ruane, A framework for prioritizing domestic animal breeds for conservation purposes at the national level: a Norwegian case study, CONSER BIOL, 14(5), 2000, pp. 1385-1393
Although encompassing only a handful of species, domestic animals have had
profound effects on food production for humankind and on human societies. O
n a global basis, a large proportion of breeds are currently in danger of b
ecoming extinct in the near future. At this critical time, resources are li
mited and only a selected number of breeds may be supported by concrete con
servation programs. I present a framework! to facilitate decision making on
a national level as to which breeds to support for conservation. These dec
isions should be made by a national committee of experts experienced with t
he different breeds and species. First, they must define the species of int
erest. Second, they should collate as much data as Possible and score each
breed for Ley criteria: degree of endangerment, presence of traits of curre
nt economic value, presence of traits of current scientific value, agroecol
ogical value in a special landscape, cultural-historical value, and genetic
uniqueness. The degree of endangerment is the most important criterion bec
ause great uncertainty about the future means that all breeds may have trai
ts of future economic or scientific value, so the main aim should therefore
be to minimize loss of breeds. To illustrate use of the framework, I consi
dered breed prioritization in Norway. I compared and scored 45 breeds from
17 domestic animal species for these key criteria and thus identified Norwe
gian breeds of high priority for conservation.