ANNEX 8 – WP1 – TOTAL ECONOMIC VALUE Survey questionnaire WP1 (example Italy) Country: Italy Breed: Maremmana Questionnaire n. .......... Date ............. Done by: ................................ City of interview................................. Place of interview ..................... (station, supermarket, public garden, street, etc) Introduction I am carrying out, on behalf of the University of Milan , a Europe-wide research survey related to the loss of an increasing number of local cattle breeds. The survey is only for adult residents of this town/village ( Q1. Are you an adult resident of the area? If yes, continue), takes approximately 15 minutes and in exchange for the time required for you to complete the questionnaire, at the end we will give you a voucher worth Euro 10 as a thank you. Like dogs or cats there are many different types of cattle breeds ( interviewer to show a picture with different cattle breeds on it ) and different breeds have different uses. Local cattle breeds are not only associated with meat and milk production but also with the maintenance of traditional landscapes (such as through grazing riverside areas or mountain pastures), cultural events and special breed-related food products (e.g. certain kinds of dairy and meat products). They also may be useful in helping to adapt animal food production to changing conditions in the future. However, despite the importance of such values, many of these breeds are facing increasing degrees of endangerment as agriculture becomes increasing industrialized and a relatively small number of standardized cattle breeds are being used. In our country half of all local cattle breeds are threatened. Such is the case of the Maremmana breed, which is found in Tuscany and Lazio and is particularly well-known for its association with the natural Maremma landscapes, its ability to graze in the harsh Mediterranean scrub and for it being herded by traditional Butteri horsemen. We are interested in determining the public’s interest in recognizing the role of local breeds and supporting conservation programmes that will help ensure the continued existence of the breed and its associated services. Your answers will help to design and implement an appropriate conservation programme. A. General questions A1. Have you ever heard of the Maremmana breed? 1 YES / NO A2. Have you ever seen a live animal of the Maremmana breed? (Interviewer to show pictures ) YES / NO We will now provide you with some background information regarding the Maremmana breed: Sixty years ago, before the industrialisation of agriculture, there were many local breeds in Italy, each suited to producing under different agricultural and environmental conditions. Today most cattle breeds belong to a few widely distributed international breeds, often farmed in an intensive way. Almost half of the remaining original local breeds are now endangered. The Maremmana breed is one of these endangered breeds. In 1940 there were 150,000 cows but by 1983 this had declined to 20,000 and today there are less than 5,000 cows. If no action is taken and this trend continues, the Maremmana breed may become extinct. The breed is still farmed in Lazio and Tuscany Maremma (Grosseto province) and in the Viterbo and Rome provinces, with herds kept outdoors all year round grazing on natural pastures, often still herded in the traditional way by Butteri horsemen. 2 3 A3. Have you ever eaten any food products directly associated with the Maremmana breed? Such food products include a distinct tasting meat that is used in a variety of local dishes. YES / NO A4 (for non-local area interviews only). Have you ever been to the Maremma areas where the Maremmana breed is found? YES / NO B. We would now like to ask you what you think about different types of conservation programmes for the Maremmana breed. Each type of conservation programme might aim to achieve the following goals, with some goals being given more weight than others depending on how funding is allocated. The conservation programme goals would be to achieve the: 1. maintenance of the breed-related special food products 2. maintenance of breed-related rural culture 3. maintenance of breed-related rural landscapes and environmental services 4. possibility to re-establish the breed for future use if it becomes extinct 5. certainty of the continued existence of live Maremmana animals over the next 50 years. 4 The following summarises some basic information about each conservation goal. Please take the time to read through this information carefully as later you will be asked to make choices between them. 1. Maintenance of the breed-related special food products Local breeds often produce special food products, distinguished from the products of other breeds, associated with distinct tastes and with the preparation of local dishes, such as the distinct tasting meat that comes from the Maremmana breed. Without the existence of this breed, these special food products would also disappear. 2. Maintenance of the breed-related rural culture Maremmana cows herded, as in ancient times, by Butteri horsemen Some local cattle breeds are associated with elements of traditional rural culture, such as folkloric events and artisan/handcraft works. For example, Maremmana cows are still herded by the Butteri with their horses, and each spring calves are traditionally captured with lassos and marked during the "merca". Without the existence of the breed/farming system, these local cultural elements, that have been maintained for centuries, would be likely to change significantly or disappear. 3. Maintenance of breed-related rural landscapes and environmental services Different breeds of cattle provide different environmental services. For example, the grazing patterns of a number of breeds can be very important in maintaining landscapes the way they are (e.g. of wetlands or mountain pastures) and in maintening the diversity of wild animals and plants associated with these landscapes, and in the control of bush fires and avalanches. This is the case of the Maremmana breed which maintains the typical Maremma landscape, known for its mixture of natural Mediterranean scrubs and woods, and fenced pastures. Cows and bulls with their large horns are also considered as part of the landscape, as can be seen in the paintings of Fattori and Coleman. Without the local breed, such landscapes may become invaded by weeds and shrubs affecting ecological processes and aesthetic values. 4. Possibility to re-establish the breed for future use if it becomes extinct 5 Storage of biological material in livestock genebank. Ensuring the maintenance of breeds with special traits (e.g. their ability to survive on poor feeds, to resist disease and tolerate extreme temperatures ) provides us with a form of insurance that will permit us to continue to produce food in a world with an uncertain future. This could be the case of the Maremmana breed . Hence, retaining the possibility to re-establish the breed if it becomes extinct in its traditional environment is an important means of ensuring against future change, including climate change.This can be achieved by storing some biological material from the breed in an existing livestock genebank. 5. Certainty of the continued existence of live animals over the next 50 years Maintaining at least a “safe” minimum live population of the Maremmana breed will greatly reduce the possibility that it might one day become extinct and no longer be available to future generations. 6 What about monetary costs? On the following pages you will be asked to make a choice between the different types of conservation programme. Each type of programme will have an associated cost that reflects these management costs. How much would I pay? You would pay the amount indicated just once. Please consider the following: bringing about good conservation outcomes costs money; the Maremmana breed is not the only breed that may require further funding; there are other good causes that you may wish to support; you may have limited income and need to consider this cost in light of your other expenses. 7 Example of Choice Set 1 Option 1 Option 2 Business as usual 1. Maintenance of the breed-related special Superior Average Average food products 2. Maintenance of breed-related rural Improving Declining Declining culture 3. Maintenance of breed-related rural Declining Improving Declining landscape and environmental services 4. Possibility to re-establish the breed for High Low Low future use if it becomes extinct 5. Certainty of the continued existence of 10% 10% 10% live animals over the next 50 years. One-off contribution to a conservation Euro 50 Euro 25 Euro 0 programme 8 C. Follow-up C1. Please rank the attributes in order of the importance in making your choices (with 1 being most important, don’t rank those that were not important to you). Maintenance of the breed-related special food products Maintenance of local culture and traditions Maintenance of rural landscapes and environmental services Possibility to re-establish the breed for future use if it becomes extinct Certainty of the breed existing in 50 years How much I would pay C2. Thinking about the information presented earlier about the breed, please indicate your response to the following statements: C2.1. I understood the information in the questionnaire. Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree C2.2. I needed more information than was provided. Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree C2.3. I found the choice questions difficult. Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree 9 PART D In this final section we would like to ask a few questions about yourself, to make sure the people we are surveying come from a range of backgrounds D1. Where do you live? Town/City …………………….(specify) Village…………………………(specify) Countryside ............................... (specify) D2. How long have you been living here? Years = …………………………… D3.