The concept of conserving genetic resources was first introduced in 1928 by Vavilov, a Russian botanist who founded a plant genetic resources bank at the All-Union Institute of Plant Breeding, Leningrad (Simon, 1984). The issue was first raised by the animal production world in 1959 where a need to conserve animal genetic resources was expressed at a Joint Symposium on Germplasm Resources for plant and animal breeders in Chicago (Simon, 1984). The emergence of these ideas can be associated with the recognition of advances in animal breeding and reproductive technology leading to a small number of highly productive breeds taking a dominant position in the production process. Three main forms of conservation can be considered; (i) cyopreservation (gene bank); (ii) maintaining control populations (no selection); (iii) managing live animal populations. This overview will focus on the role that cyopreservation plays in conservation of animal genetic resources.