Conservation is a long term activity, and the objectives of the activity must be clear and justified for it to be sustained in the long-term. Whilst the obligations for conservation-related activities are clearly set out in the Convention on Biological Diversity (“Rio” convention or CBD), the scale of activities will depend on the scope and quality of the case. A market-led justification for conservation of livestock is fraught with difficulty since if markets supported the full scope of existing genetic variation there would be no need for conservation. This does not imply that a long-term economic case cannot be made, but it does focus the arguments onto the future importance of the range of livestock breeds. Therefore beyond the benefits of visual diversity on the quality of life, there is a need for evaluating the scientific justification for conserving livestock breeds.