engleski

Protection of biodiversity trough the preservation of indigenous breeds of goats and sheep in the Mediterranean region of Croatia

Croatia belongs among the richest European countries as regards the wealth of great biological diversity. The wealth of Croatia's endemic taxa, as well as of numerous rare and threatened relicts (remnants) from Tertiary or the Ice Age, is also highly noticeable, especially in the karst area. Viewing its natural features, the karst region is incorporating the highest number of Croatia's peculiarities. Regarding its overall uniquiness, wealth in endemic taxa and living communities, including the high degree of preservation, this region represents an exceptional value both in European and in global proportions. Livestock breeding in Croatia is a traditional dynamic process and has developed most efficient breeds of farm animals in the past. As a consequence, many old and less productive, but regionally well adapted, breeds lost their relevance. They could no longer meet the requirements of farmers and the actual consumer's demand. The first warnings regarding the loss of Animal Genetic resources were heard in Croatia in the eighties from some animal scientists and several dedicated farmers that were not willing to give up their traditional breeds. Level of breeding and effort to protect the livestock in general, was also negatively influenced by the war in the nineties. Leading Croatian scientists indicated the value of traditional breeds of sheep and goats warning about incalculable damage in case of their potential loss and also possible negative impacts on food security, plant, animal and human health and economic development. Because of arousing conscience and cognition in the last decade, general public has been informed about the problem of preserving autochthonous breeds, and therefore, a great deal of attention has been given to the preservation of indigenous breeds of animals. Croatian government signed and ratified the Convention of Biological Diversity creating afterwards national strategies for protecting Croatia’ s biological and landscape diversity. As urgent measures, Republic of Croatia increased the financial subsidies for the breeding of sheep and goats, and started several research and applied programs for their conservation. Strategy requires collaboration between government, economic sectors and non- governmental and international organizations. Even though Croatia has a new Strategy and Action plans for the protection of biological and landscape diversity of the Republic of Croatia (2008), there is still a lot of research needed for optimizing the conservation methods. The main ways to preserve autochthonous breeds include identification, ascertaining size and status of endangered breeds, their genotyping and conservation methods in situ and ex situ. Preservation in situ implies the preservation of the population in its original environment. With respect to that, organic farming could be one of the most suitable ways of in situ conservation for the indigenous breeds of sheep and goats in Croatia, considering the fact that the vast majority of them are kept extensively. At the moment, organic breeding in Croatia is based on indigenous breeds. Department for physiology and radiobiology at Veterinary Faculty Zagreb has been a pioneer in outset of organic sheep production, and also has been a team member of several other programs for the protection of domestic breeds. So far, Croatia’ s experts have identified 11 traditional breeds of sheep and goats: nine sheep and two goats. Two breeds of sheep are endangered, while one is critically endangered. One breed of goat is critically endangered. The conservation of traditional breeds of goats and sheep and their genetic basis on farm forms a precaution against an unknown future in breeding and can be seen as conservation of cultural heritage appointing the unique character of a Mediterranean region. According to our findings, low-input production is virtually the only possible way of production in areas where high input is impossible due to the environmental factors. Considering organic production in ecologically acceptable manner, organic principles are those that prompt less use of external inputs for production of high quality food, without degrading the environment. Such production serves as example of possible and needed fusion of old knowledge and new trends and also as a natural link to public appreciation of traditional sheep and goats production, their specific phenotype, tradition and ecologically sustainable uniqueness. In the long run the survival of autochthonous breeds depends partly on the increase of their productivity and, even more important, on their competitiveness especially in the niche-markets for high quality products.

Karst; Biological diversity; Livestock; Preservation

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