According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, animal genetic resources comprise all animal breeds and lineages of animals of economic, scientific and cultural interest in agriculture; and products obtained from domestic or wild species, such as meat, wool and fur, among others, which may be fundamental to the livelihoods of rural communities as well as an important source of income.
Under this premise, the new book of Ediciones U. Austral de Chile, “Challenges for the conservation of Chilean fauna. Towards the correct benefit of zoogenetic resources”, by the authors Fernando Mujica and Agustín Iriarte, constitutes a significant contribution to the dissemination of this matter, making available to every public a work that combines the state of scientific knowledge, public policies and abundant information from that gray literature published in archives and reports of difficult access.
Fernando Mujica and Agustín Iriarte, noted specialists in the area, manage through this work to offer a comprehensive overview of the vulnerabilities, advances and challenges regarding the zoogenetic resources of the country, reaffirming the importance of its diversity and the need for its protection, especially of wild or native species.
“Zoogenetic Resources play an important role in the development of the country and are a relevant element for the eradication of poverty,” explains Fernando Mujica, Dr. in Agricultural Sciences. A high genetic diversity in the species guarantees their resistance to unforeseen situations such as environmental changes, from that point of view, their conservation is vital to safeguard the genetic heritage formed over years and adapted to the various ecosystems. On the other hand, its sustainable use is valuable, socially, economically and culturally for communities or populations that have this heritage.”
The publication also sets out the existence and role of protected wilderness areas and rehabilitation centres; the conservation status of species, many endangered; the threat of those introduced, and the opportunity to make sustainable use of some of them from the cultural, ecotourism and productive sphere. This comprehensive gaze allows its authors to suggest measures aimed at the conservation, characterization and use of zoogenetic resources. In short, this is an informed and current proposal to contribute to the development of the agricultural world.
For now and within the framework of the Covid-19 health emergency the book is available only in digital format, and can be purchased through www.edicionesuach.cl or directly on Amazon, PlayBooks and iBooks. It is possible to find it on the site www.edicionesuach.cl
