Characterization, Inventory and
Monitoring of trends in indigenous
livestock
Dr. E. D. Ilatsia
D. N. Kamiti
13-Apr-15
Animal Breeding and Genomics Group
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Presentation Outline
 Characterization, inventory and monitoring
 Importance
 Status
 Tools
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Questions
 Why are we here?
 Where do we want to go?
 How do we get there?
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Characterization
Encompasses
all
activities
associated
with
the
identification, quantitative and qualitative description, and
documentation of breed populations and the natural
habitats and production systems to which they are or are
not adapted.
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Characterization…
 The aim is to obtain better knowledge of AnGR, of their
present and potential future uses for food and agriculture
in defined environments, and their current state as distinct
breed populations (FAO, 1984; Rege, 1992).
 It provides the baseline information as well as the criteria
that will be used to establish and update the inventory.
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Inventory
Inventory of species and breeds, their population sizes,
geographic
distribution
and
possibly
their
genetic
diversity is generally undertaken as a first step in any
national programme for the management of animal
genetic resources for food and agriculture.
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Monitoring
 A systematic set of activities undertaken to document
changes over time in the size, structure, characteristics
and
distribution of livestock populations, along with
changes to their production environments (including their
management)
 As use and management of animal genetic resources
are dynamic processes, monitoring the status of a
population has to be done on a regular basis.
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Monitoring…
 Monitoring should be conducted at least once per
generation of the species, particularly for breeds
classified as at risk or potentially at risk
 This monitoring should serve as the basis for national
early warning
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Importance of characterization and
monitoring
“you can’t manage what you don’t measure”
Effective management of AnGR is needed to achieve
development objectives e.g. food and livelihood security,
sustainable utilization of natural resources, etc.
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1. Enhance knowledge of population size and structure
 Comprehensive breed inventories and data on the size
and structure of breed populations are prerequisites for
effective management of AnGR.
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2. Enhance knowledge of breeds’ geographical distribution
 Breeds that are very restricted in their distribution are
likely to be particularly vulnerable to some threats (e.g.
disease epidemics).
 If such breeds are identified, steps can be taken to
address these vulnerabilities.
 Therefore, breed distributions need to be mapped and
then monitored over time.
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3. Enhance knowledge of breeds’ characteristics
 It is essential to their use and development.
 Many local breeds have unique traits that make them
well adapted to harsh production conditions.
 If breeds are not characterized, opportunities to use
and develop them to improve livestock production may
be overlooked
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4. Enhance knowledge of breeds’ production environments
 Effectively
matching
breeds
to
production
environments is an important means of avoiding the
costly mistakes that may occur when breeds are
introduced to new areas
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5. Identify and monitor threats to animal genetic resources
 Threats to AnGR are many and diverse.
 Ensuring that action is taken to protect breeds from
extinction requires that these threats be identified.
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6. Document cultural aspects of livestock production and
breed utilization
 Understanding these roles is important in the
planning and implementation of interventions aimed
at promoting better use and development of AnGR.
 It
is
also
important
for
understanding
the
distinctiveness of particular livestock populations.
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7. Support strategic planning for the sustainable utilization
 Without good knowledge of AnGR, decision-makers will
be unable to develop strategic plans for sustainable use
and development.
 The information gained from monitoring is important for
identifying trends that need to be addressed, and
provides a basis for assessing progress in the
implementation of existing plans and policies.
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8. Improve priority setting for conservation programmes
 The limited availability of resources for conservation
programmes to protect breeds that are at risk means
that priority setting is necessary.
 Decisions as to which breeds to target for conservation
require up-to date information on the risk status of all
the breeds under consideration and on any unique
characteristics that the breeds may possess.
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9. Meet international obligations
 Within the framework of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), countries are obliged to report on the
status of their national biodiversity.
 It calls on countries to identify and monitor their
biodiversity.
 It recognizes that these activities are fundamental to the
conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources.
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Current status
 According to The State of the World's Animal Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture, population size is
missing for over two-thirds of African breed populations.
 The gaps in data and information are obstacles to the
effective sharing of data and information within and
between countries.
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Tools for characterization
 Surveying
 Monitoring
 Molecular genetic characterization
 Information systems
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Surveying
 It is undertaken to systematically collect data needed to
identify breed populations and describe their observable
characteristics, geographical distribution, uses and
general
husbandry,
as
well
as
their
production
environments.
 Full baseline surveys need to be undertaken once; some
elements of the survey may be repeated when significant
changes are observed in the livestock sector.
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Monitoring
 Changes in population size and structure need to be
documented regularly for all breeds.
 At present, most national livestock censuses do not
contain breed-level data, and so regular reporting of
breed population numbers does not take place.
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Molecular genetic characterization
 Characterization at the molecular genetic level is
undertaken mainly to explore genetic diversity within and
between animal populations, and to determine genetic
relationships among such populations.
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Information systems
 An
information
system
normally
includes
hardware,
software (applications), organized data (information) and
facilities for communication (e.g. GIS, POPREP, VORTEX).
 Collectively they contain important information for decision-
making, research, training, planning and evaluation of
programmes, progress reporting and public awareness.
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