Canon J: Combining inter- and intrapopulation information with the Weitzman approach to diversity conservation

This article introduces a new perspective on Weitzman’s methodology for assessing the distribution of resources in genetic diversity conservation programs. Intrapopulation information is added to the procedure by diffusion process formulas to calculate genetic extinction probabilities, and therefore the marginal diversities and elasticities of diversity. The method was tested with a set of European cattle breeds from Spain and France and provided satisfactory results. The efficient distribution of economic resources in bio-diversity conservation programs is difficult since many eco-nomic, productive, morphological, genetic, social, and even affective and aesthetic factors are involved in decision mak-ing. In recent years, the preservation of biological diversity has been a headline topic of discussion [see Amos and Balmford (2001) for a short review). In particular, the con-servation of genetic diversity in livestock has received a great deal of attention (Barker 1999; Eding and Meuwissen 2001; Oldenbroek 1999; Ruane 2000). When developing a program for the conservation of genetic resources, special attention must be paid to how genetic diversity is measured, as it is well known that the rate of evolution in natural populations is limited by the degree of genetic variability (Fisher 1930). For small and endangered populations, it is important to avoid homozygosity as much as possible, because any increase leads to less genetic variation, and molecular estimates of inbreeding would suffer a parallel increase. This determines not only survival, but also adap-tation to changing environments, including changes in consumer preferences and demands for animal-derive