По долу помествам материал за срещата публикуван на страницата на проекта. Още заглавието говори достатъчно добре за оценката на европейските специалисти от видяното - "Арк центъра във Влахи оценен като отличен пример за една Арк и Спасителна станция" Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, 7th-10th May 2009
ELBARN South East Europe Workshop:
The Ark Centre in Vlahi considered as a prime example of an Ark and Rescue StationVlahi-Ark Centre
Sofia. Many species of domestic animals are endangered and already rare. Breeds of cows, goats, donkeys and horses are often lost. Some examples of endangered breeds in Bulgaria are the Kalofer goat and Karakachan Sheep. People concerned with in-situ or live conservation of rare breeds are often faced with the danger of losing important stock in cases of, for example, epidemics. The objective of the pan-European project ELBARN is to create a network of establishments active in the in-situ conservation of autochthonous breeds.
South East Europe Area Workshop, which took place in Blagoevgrad May 7th – 10th 2009, was an important step for the conservation of old breeds and the dissemination of information about EU regulations and best practise. 35 experts from 10 countries participated in the workshop. The local partner for the organisation of the ELBARN workshop in Blagoevgrad is the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation (BBF).
Participants ELBARN SE-Europe
The ELBARN project aims to prepare, in every European country, the required infrastructure and logistics for the worst case scenario. EuroNatur, the European SAVE Foundation and partners in South, Central and West Europe are running this project as a concerted action with financial support of the European Union. ELBARN was launched with a 'Central Workshop' in February 2008, where working groups discussed rescue and quarantine, the characterisation of Ark and Rescue Centres, breeding programmes and the marketing of rare breed products.
The workshop participants identified the special features of south east Europe, compared to the rest of Europe, as being the large scale flooded or dry pastures. These pastures are often abandoned and overgrown and require the traditional grazing provided by indigenous breeds for their good management. These breeds such as the Posavina Horse, Turopolje Pig or the Kalofer Goat have a historical connection to the traditional landscape of the area. A great need in the area for national registers of breeds and keepers was also identified - these are needed as a basis of conservation work to secure the survival of indigenous breeds. Additionally Ark farms and institutions, known in other parts of Europe and very attractive for tourists and for educational purposes, are nearly unknown in Bulgaria and the neighbouring states.
The highlight of the workshop was the field visit to Vlahi near Kresna, where the Bulgarian NGO Semperviva Society has built up an ArK Centre for endangered breeds in Bulgaria. The ELBARN team and the experts present consider Vlahi to be a prime example of an Ark Centre, other examples can be found on ArcaNet
Flock of Karakachan Sheep
The Semperviva project in Vlahi fulfils the basic conditions for an ArK Centre:
• Collection or permanent exhibition of rare livestock breeds open to the public.
• The animals are pure bred and in a breeding programme.
• Information about the breeds is available on boards and there is also an information centre and brochures.
• They have a processing point, part of a Slow Food presidia, which produces a traditional, artisan sheep’s milk cheese.
• Breeding groups in Vlahi are from three species which are the Karakachan culture including horses, sheep and dogs.
Kalofer Billy Goat
Karakachan Sheep
Vlahi also has other breeds and demonstrates the integration of nature protection and landscape preservation. It is an excellent example of the rehabilitation of depopulated villages in mountain areas and offers an impressive entry point to the Pirin National Park.
Karakachan Dog
Kalofer Goat
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