This has become particularly important for conservation of crop varieties and wild genetic resources, because of their utility in future crop improvement and afforestation programmes. However, there has been a competition for relative allocation of efforts directed towards in situ and ex situ conservation.

For instance in 1987 for ex situ programmes, USA allowed only 1% of a total of 37.5 million dollars meant for biodiversity conservation, excluding contributions to international systems of gene banks.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) however, advocated equality for in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. In view of this, efforts and funding for ex situ conservation were enhanced in recent years.

Practical action on ex situ genetic resource conservation and its use can be divided into following four major eras.

(i) In the first era (1850-1860), utility of genetic resources was tested and genetic resources introduced.

(ii) In the second phase (1950-1970), a wide spectrum of genetic resources were conserved, due to their utility.