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Basic Paper Conference: Forum 7: Genetic Resources: Basic Paper As a result of world population growth, animal production world wide is faced with the challenge of continually increasing the output of animal protein for human consumption. In developed societies this is accomplished by intensifying animal production, which often means replacing less productive local breeds by genetically improved intensive (world) breeds. Therefore it is particularly true in countries with highly-developed animal production systems (Western Europe and North America) that old, well-adapted local breeds are increasingly being forced out of the main production schemes, thus decreasing in population size very quickly and becoming endangered. This not only reduces the genetic variability (which to a considerable extent exists between breeds) necessary for sustainable breeding progress, but can also cause genes important for animal health and adaptability to be lost before they have even been identified properly. In developing countries with extensive animal production systems replacement of indigenous well-adapted breeds is mainly accomplished by massive upgrading with stock from foreign breeds, and leads to the same reduction of valuable genetic variability essential for sustainable progress. Therefore the conservation of animal genetic resources has become a major activity of animal breeders world wide, and one that is supported by the FAO and by many state governments and non-governmental organisations. The scientific discourse will center on
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