
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...
charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal
genetic resources
Genetic resources are genetic material of actual or potential value, where genetic material means any material of plant, animal, microbial genetics, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity.
Genetic resources is one of the ...
(FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 by
Joe Henson to preserve native breeds;
[ since then, no UK-native breed has become extinct.
It maintains a watch list of rare native breeds of cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, goats and ]poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...
,[Rare Breeds Survival Trust watch list]
accessed June 2016 and an approved list of farm parks.[Rare Breeds Survival Trust approved farm parks]
accessed February 2012
Projects have included the collection of genetic material to ensure the future of rare breeds in a farm animal "gene bank
A gene bank is a type of biorepository that is used across the world to store the genetic material of animals, plants, and other organisms. It preserves their genetic information in the form of reproductive material like seeds, sperm, eggs, emb ...
". This project received publicity in the wake of the foot-and-mouth disease crisis in the UK and was supported by Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
(while he was the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
).[Prince's gift to rare breeds project](_blank)
accessed 25 May 2008 The Trust also supports the Manx Ark Project, which provides sanctuary for rare breeds at several sites in the Isle of Man
The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
.
Watch list
RBST publishes a watch list of rare and native United Kingdom breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...
s of domestic cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, goats and poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...
. In 2021, RBST changed their methodology from five classifications (critical, endangered, vulnerable, at risk, minority) to a two classification system (priority, at risk).[Watchlist overviewRBST Watchlists](_blank)
See also
* Genetic diversity
Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It ranges widely, from the number of species to differences within species, and can be correlated to the span of survival for a species. It is d ...
* Similar organizations:
** The Livestock Conservancy
The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds, also known as ...
** Ark of Taste
The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distin ...
** Cobthorn Trust
The Cobthorn Trust is a private non-profit trust in the United Kingdom that is dedicated to furthering conservation and preserving rare domestic animal breeds.
The trust was formed in 1986 by its former director, Andrew Sheppy. Until his death ...
**
References
External links
*
RBST Watchlists
*
{{Authority control
Rare breed conservation
Agricultural organisations based in the United Kingdom
Animal charities based in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in Warwickshire
Environmental organizations established in 1973
1973 establishments in England
1973 establishments in the United Kingdom
Charities based in England
Conservation and environmental foundations