“Genetic diversity is a prerequisite for adaptation in the face of future challenges,” UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da Silva said, releasing a new agency report highlighting the need to ensure that animal genetic resources are used to promote global food security and remain available for future generations.

Indiscriminate cross-breeding is the main cause of genetic erosion, according to the FAO’sSecond Report on the State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which also cited the increasing use of non-native breeds, weak regulation, the decline of traditional production and neglect of breeds considered not competitive enough.

Beyond climate change, future challenges include emerging diseases, pressure on land and water, and shifting market demands, which make it more important than ever to ensure animal genetic resources are conserved and used sustainably.

Cross-breeding, embraced by developing countries which import genetic material to enhance milk productivity and speed up an animal’s path to maturity, can lead to loss of valuable characteristics such as the ability to cope with extremes of temperature, limited water supplies, poor-quality feed, rough terrain, high altitudes and other challenging environmental conditions.

As an example, the report cited Brazil’s Pantaneiro cattle who have lived in the Pantanal region since being introduced by the Portuguese 400 years ago. They are believed to be resistant to various parasite-induced diseases, worms and ticks and are able to survive both floods and droughts and thrive on the course native pastures.

At the beginning of the 20th century there were several thousand, but there are now only 500 pure-bred animals, threatening to erode the breed’s capacity to adapt and survive.