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Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen

Rare breed conservation association From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen[a] or GEH is a German national association for the conservation of historic and endangered breeds of domestic animal.

AbbreviationGEH
Formation1981
TypeEingetragener Verein
Purposelivestock conservation
Quick facts Abbreviation, Formation ...
Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen
AbbreviationGEH
Formation1981
TypeEingetragener Verein
Purposelivestock conservation
HeadquartersWitzenhausen, Hesse, Germany
Official language
German
Chairman
Karl-Heinrich Göpel[1]
Deputy chairman
  • Armin Friedrich
  • Karola Stier[1]
Treasurer
Thomas Schumacher[1]
Secretary
Antje Feldmann[1]
Main organ
Vorstand
Websitewww.g-e-h.de
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History

The organisation was founded on 5 December 1981 in the Rottal, in Lower Bavaria in southern Germany.[2][3]: 130  This was eight years after the formation of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in the United Kingdom, and a few years earlier than the formation of the Österreichische Nationalvereinigung für Genreserven landwirtschaftlicher Nutztiere [de] and Arche Austria [de] in Austria.[4]: 10 

The association has about 2100 members. Since it was founded, no domestic livestock breed has become extinct in Germany.[5] Its Arche-Hof ('ark-farm') project – a network of farms that undertake to keep a minimum of three endangered breeds under sustainable and non-intensive conditions – was established in 1995.[3]: 130 

In 2021 the society conducted a survey of the measures taken by owners of flocks of sheep and goats against predation by wolves.[6]

Activities

The society co-operates with other national and international organisations for the conservation of biodiversity.[5] It publishes an annual Rote Liste or red list of endangered breeds of livestock, which attributes one of four categories of conservation risk to domestic breeds of cattle, dogs, goats, horses, pigs, rabbits and sheep, of chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and turkeys, and of bees.[7] Some breeds from outside Germany are listed separately. The four levels of risk are:

  • I: extrem gefährdet, 'extremely endangered'
  • II: stark gefährdet, 'seriously endangered'
  • III: gefährdet, 'endangered'
  • Vorwarnstufe, "alert"

The risk level is calculated using a formula that takes into account five criteria: the number of breeding animals or breeding females; the percentage of pure-bred matings; the five-year trend in breed numbers; the number of breeders or herds; and the interval between generations of the animal.[8]

The association also publishes, in conjunction with the Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter [de], the German national association of poultry breeders, a separate list of the historic poultry breeds and colour varieties that were raised in Germany before 1930. The same levels of conservation risk are assigned as in the main red list.[9]

Endangered breed of the year

Since 1984 the society has each year designated one or more animal breeds as "endangered breed of the year". To date, these have been:[10]

Notes

  1. [a]
    Translatable as: 'the society for the conservation of old and endangered livestock breeds'

References

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