The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) uses the following guidelines to determine the status of a breed:
Critical: fewer than 200 annual North American registrations and estimated fewer than 2,000 global population.
Rare: fewer than 1,000 annual North American Registrations and estimated fewer than 5,000 global population.
Watch: fewer than 2,500 annual North American registrations and estimated fewer than 10,000 global population. Also included are breeds with genetic or numerical concerns or have a limited geographic distribution.
Study: breeds of genetic interest but either lack definition or historic documentation.
Recovering: breeds which were once listed in one of the other categories and have exceeded Watch Category numbers, but are still in need of monitoring.
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) of Great Britain uses the following guidelines to determine the status of a breed:
Critical: less than 300 registered adult females
Endangered: less than 500 registered adult females Vulnerable: less than 900 registered adult females
At Risk: less than 1,500 registered adult females
Traditional: less than 3,000 registered adult females
Rare Breeds Canada (RBC) uses the following guidelines to determine the status of a breed:
Extinct: None in Canada
Critical: fewer than 100 annual registrations
Endangered: fewer than 250 annual registrations
Vulnerable: fewer than 450 annual registrations
At Risk: fewer than 750 annual registrations
Recovering: breeds which were once listed in one of the other categories and have exceeded Watch Category numbers, but are still in need of monitoring.
Internationally Rare: fewer than 100 annual registrations but are not Canadian Heritage Breeds
The Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand does not have specific guidelines. The number of sheep in the Country is included in the Class after their status. |
