For livestock breeds, their use in sustainable agriculture is the best form of conservation. For endangered livestock breeds, additional measures for their conservation are necessary.

In the conservation of the diversity of livestock breeds, a distinction is made between two areas of Action:

1. conservation in agriculture, including landscape management (on-farm conservation or in situ conservation)

2. conservation outside agricultural use, for example in gene banks or zoos (ex situ conservation)

For the conservation of highly endangered livestock breeds, ideally both areas of action should be linked. For example, cryo-preserved semen or breeding animals kept in zoos (ex-situ conservation) can also be used in a conservation breeding programme (in-situ conservation).