The Saldobosch Arc and Rescue Station is an internationally operating, non-profit NGO, connecting scientific expertise with traditional land-use and agriculture systems to encourage local people to develop and maintain a sustainable lifestyle. Our aim is to preserve the unique ecosystems of the Carpathian Mountain Region, connecting ecological preservation with economical possibilities in projects like ecotourism and marketing of local products.
Our main focus is the support of rare livestock breeding, as a foundation of environmental conservation. Not only the animals gene ressources, but also ecosystems with high species diversity that depend on grazing can be preserved.
The Carpathian Mountains run in a northwesterly arc drawn from central Romania in the southeast through Ukraine on Slovakia to the Czech Republic. There, where the mountain range that passes through Ukraine, he cuts a part from the second largest country in Europe out.
Transcarpathia, truncated by the 100 km wide Carpathian Forest and politically isolated from the EU's external border is where Saldobosch Arc and Rescue Station was born. Here lies one of the forgotten corners of Central (East-) Europe. Huge natural landscapes, large contiguous beech virgin forest, extensive orchards, extensive subsistence farming, these are just some of the distinctive landscape elements between the 2000m high mount Howerla and the Tisa river level.
Buffaloes have been a part of the agricultural scenery in the Danubian basin and the southern Carpathians for thousands of years. They are the most northerly representatives of their species. Their hooves are hard, adapted to the stony ground of the mountains. Their coat is long, to protect them in the harsh winters. A compact and bulky body makes the Carpathian Buffalo a robust survival act. These features clearly differentiate
it from its southern colleagues. The Carpathian Buffalo has enormous stamina as a draft animal and the milk and meat produced are delicious.
The break up of the Soviet Union led to the collapse of a coordinated breeding strategy for the animals in Transcarpathia (Carpato-Ukraine), the stock numbers declined rapidly and they were in danger of extinction. The Transcarpathian population is no longer a viable minimum shrunk. A mix with Murabuffalos (bulgarian buffalo) who have higher milk yields got the buffalos to become more attractive but in spring 2009 were only 34 animals to be found in Transcarpathia. Even in the 80's were up to 1000 animals suspected.
Fortunately, the largest conservation project of the Ukraine is now aware of this problem. The Carpathian Biosphere Reserve has agreed to implement Buffalos in landscapeconservation. In Narzissental with international support, in summer 2009 up to 10 buffaloes found a new home. A broad alliance of farmers, supporters and international media started over the rescue of the buffalo in the reserve. The Narzissental beckons with its unique flora and fauna of thousands of visitors each year, and has since the 2009 summer, an additional attraction, the last ukrainian Carpate buffalos.
The Saldobosch Arc and Rescue Station has started to organize the Carpathian-Buffalo breeding in collaboration with the Carpathian-Biosphere Reserve and local farmers.
In the Chust Region/Ukraine we have implemented and are following a programm to avoid inbreeding of the remaining Carpatian-Buffalos, by starting a stud book in Carpatho-Ukraine. Furthermore we plan to compare gene sequences of the remaining populations in the Carpatian Mountain Region (Ukraine, Rumania, Hungary, Slovakia) for possible interbreeding projects to stabilize declining populations.
