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European Livestock Breeds Ark and Rescue Net (Elbarn)

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European Livestock Breeds Ark and Rescue Net (Elbarn) European Livestock Breeds Ark and Rescue Net Contents 5 Preface 6 What is ELBARN? 8 Agrobiodiversity - a crucial part of biodiversity 9 International agreements 10 Agrobiodiversity and nature conservation 12 Nature Park Lonjsko Polje, Croatia 14 Agrobiodiversity and rural development 15 Milina Project, Serbia 18 Why are traditional breeds endangered? 20 The importance of non-governmental organizations 21 The ELBARN project: a partnership of five NGOs 21 EuroNatur 22 SAVE Foundation 23 Steunpunt Levend Erfgoed (SLE) 24 The Society For The Conservation Of Old And Endangered Livestock Breeds In Germany (GEH) 25 Associazione Italiana ‘RAZZE AUTOCTONE A RISCHIO DI ESTINZIONE’ (RARE) 26 Solving the problem 27 Rescue actions 27 Booted goat (Stiefelgeiss) 29 Carpathian Buffalo 31 Ark Centres 31 Saving endangered livestock in Galicia 33 An Ark Farm with an educational ethos 34 Steunpunt Levend Erfgoed: Living Heritage Park and Expo 36 Jakobson’s Farmstead Museum in Estonia 37 Vlahi Eco-centre, Bulgaria 39 What does our living heritage tell us? 1 2 Contents 40 Conservation Breeding 42 Mora Romagnola pig, Italy 44 The Walachian Museum in Roznov 45 Conservation of local breeds in France 47 Chillingham Wild Cattle 49 Oulokeros goat, Greece 50 The Danish Ertebølle Landrace sheep 51 Marketing 52 Marketing meat from traditional breeds 54 Quality products from Mangalitsa pigs in Hungary 55 Geographical information 59 Outcomes and future perspectives 60 Area Action Plans 62 Further information 62 ELBARN website 63 Arca-Net 64 ELBARN partners 65 Other websites 67 Acknowledgement 3 4 Preface Raising awareness about conservation work taking The texts and photos that follow show the variety place all over Europe to ensure that the animals of ways in which ‘agrobiodiversity’ can be seen that form part of our (agri-)cultural heritage are as important. There are also many brief examp- safeguarded is an essential part of ELBARN – the les, which tell the history behind ELBARN and also European Livestock Breeds Ark and Rescue Net. show that, all over Europe, people are actively At the inception of this project in 2006, it was trying to conserve indigenous livestock breeds in planned to write a report at this juncture detailing many innovative ways. The photos to be found the work undertaken in the three years of this Eu- throughout the publication show the variety and ropean Commission-funded concerted action. The beauty of this, often forgotten and neglected, part intention was to use the report to promote ac- of biodiversity. tivities and motivate governments, organizations, institutes and individuals to carry ELBARN into We hope that reading this book will be informative the future. During the series of workshops that and enjoyable, and encourages you to take part have been an integral part of the ELBARN process, in our conservation work – as a visitor to an Ark it became clear that something slightly different Centre, a consumer of fine products, an animal might be more effective – a document that not breeder, a project sponsor, or by promoting the only records the valuable work that has already work in the media. Comprehensive details of where to taken place but also shows why it is important. find further information and how to make contact with the ELBARN project partners can be found at the back of this publication. Elli Broxham, editor SAVE Foundation 5 What is ELBARN? ELBARN is the European Livestock Breeds Ark and This funding has led to major achievements: five Rescue Net. The origin of ELBARN lies in rescue workshops took place, a questionnaire has been actions undertaken in Switzerland in the 1980s conducted and a set of breed descriptions, Guide- (see page 26 Booted goats). From these early res- lines and four Area Action Plans have been published. cue actions a vision emerged of a pan-European Alongside this work, the Arca-Net pilot project network to ensure that valuable livestock can be has been expanded from the German-speaking protected from slaughter in times of crisis. Additi- area and combined with the ELBARN project to onally, a pilot project began, in the German-spea- include, at the time of writing, over 420 centres king area of Europe, to create an online ‘guide- in 40 European countries, which makes this a unique book’ of all centres with rare livestock breeds that collection of farms, open air museums, nature are open to the public. This took the form of the reserves, etc., all conserving the traditional breeds Arca-Net website (www.arca-net.info), promo- of their region. ting a network of ‘Ark Centres’. In 2006, these two ideas were combined to create the concept of the Further information and the project’s publications European Livestock Breeds Ark and Rescue Net in can be found on the ELBARN website: a project application to the European Commission. This application was submitted by five non- www.elbarn.net governmental organizations (NGOs) and the pro- ject was chosen for support as a concerted action. 6 2007 2008 2009 2010 Preparation of the Central Workshop, Publication of the List of National Contact project, identifying ELBARN kick off in Kutna ELBARN Guidelines people and potential suitable participants, Hora, Czech Republic Rescue Centres planning the de- tailed work plan Questionnaire Preparation of the Area Workshops in Gent, Publication and Dis- ELBARN Guidelines in- Belgium; Roznov, Czech semination of Area cluding: meetings with Republic; Legnaro, Italy Action Plans and other the OIE, DG SANCO plus and Blagoevgrad, Bul- promotion materials Marketing work group garia; preparation of meetings the Area Action Plans Website: web presence ELBARN, extension of database of pilot project, collection of data, breed descriptions 7 Agrobiodiversity – a crucial part of biodiversity! Agricultural biological diversity (agrobiodiversity) is and pigs with wool to blue potatoes, black toma- everything – from soil bacteria through to cows toes and other curiosities far removed from the and apples, including forests, rivers and wild standardized agriculture that many of us know to- plants – that provides our food, fibre and fuel day. These curiosities are not, however, all extinct! resources. Over thousands of years humans have Many of them live on today, even in Europe. They worked together with natural processes, selecting are kept by enthusiastic hobby farmers or in areas and developing animals and crops to provide food where traditional farming practices still exist. for a growing population. This treasure chest of diversity is not only pretty, This extremely successful enterprise has been the it also contains genetic resources that can pro- basis of all other human endeavours. Agriculture vide us with security in times of uncertainty. As has provided both nutrition and time – time that climatic systems change to become hotter or col- was previously used on hunting, gathering and der, wetter or drier, the vast diversity contained constantly moving in search of new food. The in- within our genetic resources for food and agricul- creased resources allowed humans to invent new ture – agrobiodiversity – will be needed. Animals technological processes, develop ways of orga- that can survive drought or can graze in wetlands nizing communities and resources, to build the whilst still producing high-quality food for human wonders of the world, to think, to travel, to write consumption will be valuable. Low input systems music and books, and create great art. that do not place a further strain on already over- burdened ecosystems are already being rediscove- The great diversity within agriculture was perfectly red and utilized to help protect fragile areas. adapted for the part of the world in which it was utilized. Lambing seasons, nutritional needs, gra- Agrobiodiversity is recognized as a crucial part zing technique, type of hoof – these have all been of biodiversity and is protected by international selected by farmers and evolved by nature to provide agreement, as well as by European regulations the optimal balance between production output and national laws. At present, plant genetic re- and quality of life of both farmer and animal. This sources are more clearly regulated on an interna- harmonious-sounding, low input, culture of mana- tional level than animal resources. This publication ging nature – agriculture – has provided us with a concentrates on the traditional, old-fashioned vast range of animals and plants: from curly-hor- animal breeds included within the range of animal ned sheep and goats, tiger-striped or belted cows, genetic resources. 8 Photo: Wilna Boink-Janssens Dutch Belted (Lakenvelder), an old dairy cattle breed from the Netherlands tracing back directly to the original belted or ‘canvassed’ cattle which were described in Switzerland and Austria. International agreements: Convention on Biodiversity (especially article 2). International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources Food and Agriculture. and the Interlaken Declaration. 9 Agrobiodiversity and nature conservation Without anthropogenic influence through agri- agrobiodiversity conservation. The regional eco- culture, Europe would not have the beautiful and systems worthy of protection can only be preserved rich landscape we see today. The development of in their full diversity with management. Old live- open spaces through crop cultivation and animal stock breeds and cultivated plants, adapted to the husbandry has led to the wide diversity of land- locality, offer a low-cost alternative to elaborate scape
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