**6.1 Reasons for endangerment/extinction**

FAO [96] listed the broad categories of threats in three major groups: trends in livestock sector, disasters and emergencies, and animal disease epidemics and lack of control measures.

Considering the first one, the global reliance on a very limited number of international, specialized (single purpose) breeds suited to the needs of high input high output industrial agriculture can be mentioned. This expansion was accompanied by the grading-up of local breeds, by changes feeding-, housing, and reproduction technologies.

Under the second group of treats the lack of development interventions, appreciation, sustained breeding programmes, and loss of labour force (migration to urban areas in search of employment), traditional knowledge associated with livestock herding, further on changes in land use (destruction of native habitats), inappropriate management of climate change and natural disasters (floods, drought, famine). In many places, to this is added the local conflict (socio-political), and a range of political instability (civil strife, war).

The third means: inadequate control of disease epidemics, lack of disease control, preventive treatments, genetic control of inheritable defects, as well as lack of identification, transport, traceability, food chain controlled.
