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IMPORTANCE OF ZACKEL SHEEP BREEDS

IN DEVELOPMENT

OF PIROT AND CHIPROVTSI KILIM BRAND

IN THE STARA PLANINA REGION

Sergej Ivanov dr vet.med.

GEF Technical Support Team Leader

Serbian transitional agricultural reform project

Project Unit in Stara Planina

Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management

Workshop: Socio-economic and Cultural Values

of Farm Animal Breeds, 7th – 9th September

2011, Reykjavik, Iceland

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Stara Planina Nature Park

• Stara Planina Nature Park established in 1997, as the

biggest Serbian protected territory (1.114km2), and

future candidate for UNESCO MAB Program;

• Stara Planina is one of the richest plant areas of

Serbia, with about 1,190 plant and 51 moss species,

or 34% of the respective nationally identified plant

species;

• Stara Planina is one of the crucial centers of

agrobiodiversity conservation in Central Serbia;

• Stara Plannina Mt. (or Balkan Mountain) in Bulgaria is

Natura 2000 site and proposed Nature Park

(1.600km2)

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Stara Planina Nature Park in the past

• Border between Serbian and Bulgarian part of the

Mountain established in 1878 and modified in 1919,

which enable common development of economic and

cultural activities;

• More than 300.000 sheep in Serbian part of the

Mountain;

• Sheep production used to be basis of local economy

delivering to local and regional markets variety of sheep

products: kashkaval cheese (yellow cheese similar to

cheddar cheese); white cheese; famous lamb meat and

carpet/kilim/rugs;

• Socio economic and cultural changes resulted in extreme

decrease of production of above mentioned products in

both parts of the Mountain.

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Pirot (Serbia) and Chiprovtsi (Bulgaria)

kilims/carpets

• Production increased in the Ottoman Empire;

• The carpets were demanded as a prayer rugs;

• Coarse wool of Zackel type breeds

(Pirot Zackel Breed, Replyan Sheep Breed and

Karakachan Sheep Breed) was used;

• rugs/kilim is coloured in traditionally strong,

saturated colours with dominant red, black, and

some types brown, white or green

• several hundreds women were engaged in weaving

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Stara Planina Nature Park and Weaving today

• Very high level of depopulation caused changes in rural economy;

• Weaving became rare craft, just 40 women in Pirot is doing this craft today;

• Pirot, Replyan and Karakachan Sheep breed is very rare and endangered today;

• Designation of Origin as a tool for conservation of Pirot Kilim – designated in

2002;

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Typical architecture related to sheep breeding in the past

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Recommendations

Present attempts of Stara Planina Mt. stakeholders to increase the production of Pirot and Chiprovtzi kilim/carpet, requires conservation, and increase of population of endangered Stara Planina Zackel Type breeds in aim to preserve traditional quality and lifetime of the famous Pirot/Chiprovtzy Kilim/Carpet.

Wool (obtained from the above mentioned breeds) is the most significant for a good quality of the kilim that is for its long duration, nice appearance and a high quality weaving. The wool of Pirot Zackel, Karakachan Sheep and primitive Repliana Sheep has coarse long fleece with fibre diameter between 30 and 40 microns, which is elastic and strong.

Today, there are only 150 sheep of Karakachan sheep breed, 140 of Pirot Zackel in Serbia, and several hundreds of Repliana sheep breed in Bulgaria.

This situation requires urgent measures in aim to increase population of these endangered breeds and create self sustainable production systems based on their cultural, environmental and economic potential.

Stara Planina decision makers and stakeholders need to note close interaction between the preservation of traditional craft (weaving) and conservation of sheep breeds whose products affect the kilim quality.

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Serbia transitional agriculture reform project

- Part of the project (the third component) is being implemented in the Stara

Planina Nature Park;

- Financed by the World Bank and GEF donation;

- C3 component objective is to conserve the globally important eco-system in the

Stara Planina Nature Park.

- C3 component aims to improve rural economy and management of the SPNP,

including its flora and autochthonous livestock breeds, in partnership with local

communities and other stakeholders.