MANAGEMENT FOR BIODIVERSITY AND LIVESTOCK: ECOREGIONS FOR CONSERVATION

Abstract

The second Editorial article of 2025 will focus on the important concept of ecoregions for the management and conservation of the biodiversity. Ecoregions are areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. They serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. As recently stated by the World Economic Forum (2020), biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are one of the biggest threats facing humanity in the next decade. The issues of biodiversity conservation and biodiversity monitoring are important and relevant in regional and transboundary aspects. A primary cause of the currently ongoing biodiversity loss is deterioration and fragmentation of habitats. As a result, an increasing number of studies and monitoring programs are focusing on changes in the quantity and quality of habitats at the global, regional, national and landscape levels. Monitoring of biodiversity at the level of habitats is becoming increasingly common. The regional level of biodiversity monitoring involves the study of habitats in terms of ecological regions (ecoregions).

Facing this very crucial challenge, National Agricultural and Food Centre (NPPC, Luzianky) is leading an Interreg Hungary-Slovakia project (grant number HUSK/2302/1.2/018) co-funded by the European Union, titled “Support for cross-border biodiversity protection in "Ex situ" conditions”, coordinated by Prof. Chrenek Peter from NPPC – Luzianky, together with the National Centre for Biodiversity and Gene Conservation (Hungary) as partner.

The goal of the project is mutual cross-border cooperation and support in protection biodiversity with the aim of protecting selected animal genetic resources under the conditions of ex in situ in vivo and in vitro. This involves mapping, selection and genotyping of the original ones Slovak and Hungarian breeds of animals only by small breeders. For this reason, the number of individuals is very low and, in some cases, there is a risk of extinction. Experiments in ex situ in vitro conditions will be oriented towards sampling 1) for purposes DNA isolation and detection of the origin of individuals, 2) for the collection of ejaculates and blood for the purpose of microbiological, morphological and andrological examinations, 3) isolation of poultry and rabbit stem cells and 4) cryopreservation of biological material (sperm, stem cells, bone marrow) of national animal breeds as well as brown hare rabbit for purposes of cryopreservation in gene banks. Ex situ in vivo experiments will focus on the collection of animals, from each breed (13 breeds of rabbits, 1 breed of brown hare, 2 breeds of poultry, 4 breeds of sheep) at minimum 2 pieces from one breed. The result of the project will be cryopreserved samples in gene banks on the Slovak and Hungarian sides, mutual exchange of reserve samples, a collection of animals of national breeds. The effective transfer of knowledge to the target groups will be in the form of securing professional events and conferences and through publications that will be developed during the solution of the project.