Conservation

Conservation of animal genetic resources -- ensuring that these valuable resources remain available for future use by livestock breeders -- is one of the four strategic priority areas of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, which was adopted in 2007 and is the first internationally agreed framework for the management of biodiversity in the livestock sector. These guidelines focus on conservation "in vivo", i.e.

SPREP presents these guidelines for undertaking rapid biodiversity assessments in its Pacific island member countries and territories: Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. These assessments are referred to as BIORAPs. The guidelines are recommended to be used by SPREP members for the planning and implementation of terrestrial and marine BIORAP surveys, and subsequent monitoring of important sites. 

Cranes, a flagship species of waterbirds, have great cultural significance - especially the Siberian Crane. Yet, even after decades of conservation efforts, cranes remain threatened with 11 species at risk. To help reverse these trends, the UNEP/GEF Siberian Crane Wetland Project  was the first project to its kind to take a "flyway" approach to conservation, looking to secure the ecological integrity of a network of 16 critical wetlands in Eurasia.