Semperviva
| Foundation | |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Pernik |
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Area served
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Bulgaria |
The Bulgarian Biodiversity Preservation Society, Semperviva, is a non-governmental, biodiversity conservation organization. Semperviva was founded in 1997, and works in close partnership with the Balkani Wildlife society. A project house in Vlahi provides the Balkani Wildlife society with a base from which to undertake biological field research on large carnivores, and also provides accommodation for volunteers. Semperviva is a network partner of the European SAVE Foundation.
Semperviva is focused on studying and saving the rare autochthonic breeds of domestic animals in Bulgaria and also on the Balkan region. Specific goals include:
Conservation of Karakachan sheep, Karakachan horse and Karakachan dog in Bulgaria.
Since fifteen years, The Bulgarian Biodiversity Preservation Society, Semperviva, has been active for the breed of Karakachan livestock guardian dogs. They are successful utilised for the protection of herds against bears and wolves which appear still frequently in Bulgaria. For seven years, Semperviva has also been active for the conservation of the endangered Karakachan sheep and Karakachan horses. The old Karakachan breeds are one of the oldest forms of domestic animals in Europe. They are also the connection between the modern high-productive breeds and their wild predecessors. The three breeds are part of the natural, cultural and historical heritage of Bulgaria. The main goal of these projects is: saving the traditional way of their breeding as a symbiosis among them and their living environment.
The long-term project started in the beginning of 2001 and is supported by: The SAVE Foundation, Frankfurt Zoological Society and private donors. The Karakachan sheep, Karakachan horse and Karakachan dog are local breeds, which had been formed on the Bulgarian lands, as a result of the most primitive type of livestock breeding – nomad livestock breeding. The Karakachans are Balkan nomad people who, due to their extremely conservative livestock breeding traditions, are considered to have saved the most primitive and pure domesticated forms of animals - a sheep type "tzakel", a mountain horse and a .
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