Appendix
Strategic Priority 6
Strategic Priority 8
Support indigenous and local production systems
and associated knowledge systems of importance to the maintenance and sustainable use
of animal genetic resources
Support the establishment and strengthening of
in-situ conservation programmes
Rationale
Over millennia, animal species and breeds have been domesticated, developed and maintained for human use. These resources have co-evolved with the social, economic and cultural
knowledge and management practices. The historic contribution
of indigenous and local communities to animal genetic diversity,
and the knowledge systems that manage these resources,
needs to be recognized, and their continuity supported. Today,
the adaptive animal genetic resources management strategies
of these communities continue to have economic, social and
cultural significance, and to be highly relevant to food security
in many rural subsistence societies, particularly, though not
exclusively, in dry lands and mountainous regions. Measures
to support such systems should take their specific ecological
and socio-economic and cultural features into consideration.
Actions
1. Assess the value and importance of indigenous and
local production systems, and identify trends and drivers of change that may affect the genetic base, and the
resilience and sustainability of the production systems.
2. Support indigenous and local livestock systems of importance to animal genetic resources, including through
the removal of factors contributing to genetic erosion.
Support may include the provision of veterinary and
extension services, delivery of microcredit for women
in rural areas, appropriate access to natural resources
and to the market, resolving land tenure issues, the
recognition of cultural practices and values, and adding
value to their specialist products.
3. Promote and enable relevant exchange, interaction
and dialogue among indigenous and rural communities and scientists and government officials and other
stakeholders, in order to integrate traditional knowledge
with scientific approaches.
4. Promote the development of niche markets for products
derived from indigenous and local species and breeds,
and strengthen processes to add value to their primary
products.
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Actions
2. Encourage the development and implementation of
national and regional in-situ conservation programmes
for breeds and populations that are at risk. This may
include support, either directly for breeders of threatened breeds, or measures to support agricultural
production systems that manage areas of importance
to breeds at risk, the encouragement of breed organizations, community-based conservation organizations,
non-governmental organizations and other actors to
participate in conservation efforts provided that such
support or such measures are consistent with existing
international agreements.
Strategic Priority 14
Strengthen national human capacity for characterization, inventory, and monitoring of trends
and associated risks, for sustainable use and
development, and for conservation
Actions
3. Establish or strengthen community-based organizations, networks and initiatives for sustainable use,
breeding and conservation.
Strategic Priority 20
Review and develop national policies and legal
frameworks for animal genetic resources
Actions
1. Periodically review existing national policies and regulatory frameworks, with a view to identifying any possible
effects they may have on the use, development and
conservation of animal genetic resources, especially
with regard to the contribution and needs of local communities keeping livestock.