Knowledge of animal genetic resources is fundamental to their sustainable use, development and conservation. This publication provides advice on how to draw up a strategy for meeting national needs for data and information on animal genetic resources. It also offer practical advice on how to plan and implement an animal genetic resources survey – covering the whole process from planning the survey to disseminating the outputs and taking the first steps in translating results into action. A range of surveying tools are presented, and advice is offered on how they can be combined and integrated within an effective strategy that addresses both the task of acquiring a baseline of data on animal genetic resources and the subsequent task of monitoring changes over time.