Why it matters
Losing unique material or its accession identity can undermine future breeding and preservation options.
Identity is part of usefulness
In a hypothetical breeding collection, material remains in storage but its accession labels are uncertain. The immediate question is not who saw the information; it is whether anyone can confidently choose and use the intended resource.
Assess preservation together with the catalog and handling history. If a unique accession is lost, a digital description may not replace the material. If the record is lost, the remaining material may be difficult to interpret. These distinct failure modes explain why resource security includes both biological and informational continuity.