Focal Area: Status and trends of the components of biodiversity

Headline Indicator: Trends in genetic diversity

Key Indicator Partner:    

Associate Indicator Partner:

Data Available: Global, regional and national time series since early 1980s (many gaps)

Development Status: Methodology under review 

More than 35 species of birds and mammals have been domesticated for use in agriculture and food production, and at present there are more than 8,000 recognized breeds. Livestock keeping is an important livelihood activity for hundreds of millions of people around the world, including an estimated 70% of the rural poor. Livestock also provide a number of services within the ecosystems of which they form part. Grazing animals such as cattle, goats, sheep and horses stimulate plant growth, remove excess biomass, and contribute to nutrient cycling and seed dispersal. The value of animal genetic resources goes far beyond their current use – they provide options for the future; a breed or population that is of little significance today may be extremely valuable in the future.

In the absence of direct measures at genetic level, the status of domestic breed populations provides the best available indication of trends in diversity. The indicator will be based on data from the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS at http://www.fao.org/dad-is/) maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). DAD-IS covers more than 30 species used for food and agriculture and includes data on the size and structure of breed populations. Data collection began in 1987 in Europe. From 1996 onwards, DAD-IS has been continuously open to all countries for online data entry. Entry of historical data is encouraged. 181 countries have contributed, but the population data set remains incomplete. DAD-IS provided the basis for World Watch Lists for Domestic Animal Diversity (1993, 1995 and 2000) and for The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (2007). These publications provided lists of breeds by country and risk-status category. The ‘State of the World’ presented an assessment of trends over the 1999–2006 period.

DAD-IS data will be used to provide regularly status and trends reports to the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Options for an indicator of trends in genetic diversity of domesticated animals were discussed at an expert meeting organized by FAO in February 2010. The proposals that emerged from the meeting are being reviewed and tested.

It will be possible to aggregate data at country, regional and global levels. The timescales over which trends can be described will depend on the regularity with which countries enter population data into DAD-IS and the completeness of historical data.

Proportion of the world’s breeds by risk status category

The indicator has not yet been finalized. The following figure is based on the data that will feed into the indicator.

Source: FAO, 2009. Status and trends report of animal genetic resources – 2008. Rome.

Current methods for estimating trends in livestock genetic diversity, and proposals for the indicator, are based on aggregating breed risk-status data. An increase in the percentage of breeds categorized as at risk or extinct and a decrease in the percentage categorized as not at risk indicates a decline in livestock diversity. Conversely, a decline in the percentage of breeds classified as at risk and an increase in the percentage categorized as not at risk indicates that livestock diversity is being maintained.

In interpreting the indicator, it will be important to bear in mind that breed diversity does not fully reflect genetic diversity because it does not account for within-breed diversity or for how closely breeds are related to each other. Measuring the effects of genetic dilution through uncontrolled cross-breeding, a substantial threat to diversity, is a particular problem.

‘Among the approximately 8,000 breeds reported to FAO, about 21% are currently classified as being at risk based on the most recently available population figures. For another 36% no population data are available and therefore risk status is unknown. Data updates are insufficiently regular at present to allow for an accurate assessment of trends. However, many individual breeds continue to decline in numbers.’

It will be possible to calculate the indicator at global, regional and country levels. Tools for creating national fact sheets on the indicator will be made available in DAD-IS (http://www.fao.org/dad-is/). For more information on producing a national Genetic diversity of terrestrial domesticated animals indicator contact Beate Scherf at FAO (Beate.Scherf@fao.org).

The indicator will be reviewed and tested. It will be included in the status and trends report prepared for the meeting of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to be held in November 2010. In order to obtain a more complete dataset, countries will be encouraged to update their breed population data in DAD-IS regularly.