The buffalo farm Saldobosch lokated in Steblivka is spreading to the mountains. We opened up a second Farm houshold with the pure bloded Carpathian buffalos from Steblivka. We left to Igor and our shepard Walodja 16 Buffalos and brought 9 Individuals into the mountains close to Lipowetz. Our new place is called Gregoretz and consisting out of old empty houses, far away from civilisation. Our central basis in Steblivka (Saldobosch) stays as long as possible. But milking will only take place in Gregoretz. Here is the aime of chees production and harvesting of non timber forest products in one of the most natural cultural landscape in Europ
How to find Gregoretz:
Größere Kartenansicht">
Größere Kartenansicht
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Get the impression of one of our first voluntears from Gregoretz:
I arrived at Gregoretz nearly five days ago, and will leave on Saturday inspired by my short week here: In the Carpathian mountains, just outside of Khust in the Ukraine, Michel is building a unique world. The central aim, I learned, is to re-populate a rapidly diappearing breed of buffalo, unique to this area, and increase local support for owning the buffalos and utilizing the resources they provide. By keeping buffalos himself, Michel plans to show that the buffalos here are valuable and can be economical. By breeding and selling buffalos locally to other willing individuals, he hopes to see the Carpathian population increase from its current count at just 54.
Alongside this project come many others, which to me are equally as fascinating.With the help of local friends and volunteers from all over the world, Michel is creating a functioning farm from scratch. This week we've picked cherries from the hillside that will be made into jam for the winter, cleaned buffalo sausage to hang-dry, dug out new water sources for the horses, and worked on re-building the farm houses on his land. The ambitions are huge – everyday there is talk of new projects, of creating water reserves for future gardens, planting fig trees, and even of building a stone cellar for buffalo cheese.
Aside from all of this, one of the most inspiring parts of being here on the farm is the careful attention that is paid to living in line with the natural world. All of the farm functions are aimed at leaving the smallest possible footprint on this beautiful piece of the Carpathian mountains.
In addition to learning the daily tasks of caring for the horses, chickens, pigs and buffalos. I have learned that this is not just a project, but a lifestyle – where you must be willing to work hard to achieve goals. I have also learned that washing your hair everyday matters little, and finding fresh sources of drinking water matters the most.
In my time here I have seen a sense of dedication to these buffalos and this land that has far exceeded my expectations. The project is clearly not just good ideas from the outside, it is a permenant and sustainable mission working with and for native animals and local people. Michel is creating an open farm community- where there is something for everyone and new ideas are always welcome. There is a place for volunteers from all walks of life- people with little experience (like myself), but also for people with plans to bring to the table. Michel even hopes to open the farm for tourism, to offer horseback riding in the mountains.
From here, it seems, the possibilities for growth are endless – and I hope I will get the chance to come back to Gregoretz in the future and see the results of Michel's work with the buffalos!
Carolyn Blessing
(student, age 21, USA)
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.
