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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.