The three breeds of goat in Nigeria - Sahel (Sh), Red Sokoto (RS) and West African Dwarf (WAD) - are described. The performance of the latter two is illustrated in the tables.

The methods of preserving animal genetic resources and the benefits and disadvantages are reviewed. The economic value of preserving germplasm in the face of uncertain needs and opportunities for use in the future is calculated. The conclusion is that the benefits greatly exceed the costs, and in many conditions in developing countries it would be desirable both to preserve and to improve indigenous breeds. International action is desirable to maximize efficiency and minimize risk.

The small amount of information available on native strains of chicken in the SABRAO region is surveyed. The need for well controlled experimental comparisons is emphasized as well as the need to obtain as complete a picture as possible of each population genotype. The desiderata for conservation programmes are discussed.

Plans to improve the milk production ability of the Criollo in Bolivia are outlined. The background problems are stated, and experiments to improve by crossbreeding are described. The Criollo improvement project which makes use of the purebred Criollo was planned in two stages. The first was the attempt to measure the performance of Criollo cows purchased from commercial herds, and milked without their calves. The second stage was the comparison of performance with the results of the crossbred trial. The intentions and plans to progeny test the Criollo bulls are summarized and the hopes of producing bulls for sale and use on temperate breeds of cow are described. The problems encountered in the project are stated, and the results are viewed in the context of work with Criollo in other countries.

The American Minor Breeds Conservancy and the National Council on Gene Resources are organizations in the United States whose activities are either wholly or in part directed to the conservation of rare and threatened breeds of farm animals. Past and current projects, goals, and the kinds of services provided by the AMBC and the NCGR are presented in brief form.

Remnants of the vast populations of Spanish horses in North America are currently being registered and bred by a number of breed organizations. The number of foals registered yearly is around 100 individuals. As this number is widely spread geographically and not closely related, the genetic outlook for the breed is good. Blood group studies have not been done, but evidence from coat colour aliele frequencies suggests that the claim to purity and uniqueness compared with other North American breeds is valid.