There is an increasing interest in protection of old native plant varieties and animal breeds which are a part of the historic heritage of a given country. Protection of old cultivars and breeds of farm animals is especially significant. Less attention has been paid to protection of old varieties of ornamental plants, although many, previously common species, are becoming increasingly rare. Some of them are already forgotten, some going out of fashion, and that is just why their existence is threatened. In the UK, National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens set up in 1978 has created a system of collections of old ornamental plant varieties and coordinated protection measures. Its activity has evoked responses in other countries.