Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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Conservation of Goat Genetic Resources
J.N.B. Shrestha , PhD and S. Galal , PhD
KEY TERMS
Domestic animal—animal that has been bred in captivity for economic profi t to the human community.
Feral animal—a domestic animal that has reverted to its wild state following its escape or its release into an environ-
ment favorable for propagation.
Breed—a subgroup of domestic livestock and poultry with defi nable and identifi able morphological characteristics
within a species.
Breeds at risk—according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, those breeds with
<1,000 females, with <20 males, or with a total population of < 1,200.
Globalization—the process of unifying people or a local phenomenon into a single society and function as a global
phenomena.
Conservation—analysis and protection of biological diversity in the world.
OBJECTIVES
By completing this chapter, the reader will acquire knowledge on:
The most likely dates and places where goats and sheep were domesticated
The evolution of the goat
How the goat spread from its place of origin to different parts of the world
How primitive goats developed to become highly specialized modern breeds
The degree of diversity among goat breeds, populations, and landraces in the world
The alarming trend in the loss of domestic animal diversity
The need to characterize various domestic animals taking into consideration their population size
The need to conserve those breeds, populations, and landraces that are considered endangered or at risk of
extinction
The social and economic importance of goats in poverty alleviation
INTRODUCTION
Creative human activity, which began with domestication
of goats over 10,000 BC combined with natural causes, has
resulted in a colossal amount of inherent potential among
1,153 goat breeds worldwide (FAO, 2009) for economi-
cally important morphological characteristics and produc-
tion performance. Many of the traditional breeds in the
industrialized nations and indigenous breed populations in
the developing countries are being replaced by commercial
breeding stocks derived from a narrow genetic base. These
commercial breeds have outstanding productivity and are
capable of meeting the demand for quality food and food
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