Strategies for moving from conservation to utilisation

This chapter first introduces a general framework extending from cryoconservation to sustainable utilisation, in which in situ and ex situ techniques differ in their capacity to reach the various conservation objectives. For in situ conservation different options for maintaining self-sustaining local breeds are discussed. Some relevant aspects of ex situ conservation related to the creation of cryobanks, including selection of donor animals and the type and amount of material to be stored, are analysed as a function of the conservation objectives. In reviewing the scarce literature on costs, the chapter provides a general framework to compare costs of the different strategies for animal genetic resources management. Finally, some criteria to choose the most appropriate conservation strategy for a breed in its breeding environment are proposed.