Current issues and initiatives in the conservation and management of sheep genetic resources.

Abstract

Sheep are less prone to genetic erosion than many other major domestic animal species. A brief overview of the status of sheep genetic resources indicates 1.313 living breeds according to the FAO database with 20 percent at risk and a further 30 percent of unknown status. There are problems with breed definition which should be widened to include populations defined by geography or social system. It is also necessary to have clearer guidelines as to what breeds should be included by countries in the database. It is hoped that the current State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources reporting initiatives will help clarify the situation. While it is desirable to describe the sheep genome and look for Quantitative Trait Loci and their associated markers, the current interest is in readily available packages of genes as defined by breeds. There is likely to remain a satisfactory reservoir of breeds to draw on to construct new designer sheep. This is happening in response to changing requirements for products or production systems but these remain unpredictable. In many situations the conservation of sheep genetic resources is related to the conservation of pastoral or social systems and if or when these change, the sheep will need to change with them. Rational management and utilization of sheep genetic resources requires on-going genetic I improvement within breeds. Sensible communal agreement on breeding objectives will enable the owners of breeds to avoid unnecessary genetic erosion and maintain breed utility at the highest possible level.