THE ROLE OF THETRADITIONAL LIVESTOCK IN

THE “Marine Park of Alonnisosand Northern Sporades”

Research-Conservation-Integration

THE NATIONAL MARINE PARK OF ALONNISOS& NORTHERN SPORADES

• The Marine Park is a protectedarea of 23.000 hectares of landand marine area

• The Marine Park contains 25small or big islands

ALONNISOS: THE ONLY INHABITED ISLAND ofthe Marine Park

• From the late 70 s themain activities aretourism and fishery

ALONNISOS AND THE MARINE PARK ISLANDS: “AFARMING AND CATTLE-RAISING AREA”

• Before the tourist andfishery activities, thepeople on Alonnisoswere only farmersand shepherds

CATTLE “THE CAPITAL” FOR THE CULTIVATION OF THE LAND

• Almost 400 couples ofcattle made up thelivestock usedexclusively forplowing and threshing.These belonged to anequal number offamilies.

CATTLE FROM CHALKIDIKI INTRODUSED TOALONNISOS

• In those days the middleleg of the Chalkidikipeninsula was easilyaccessible from theislands of NorthernSporades

• From the safe harbour ofPorto Kufo the cattle ofSykia in Chalkidiki weretransported by sailingships to NorthernSporades

CATTLE ON PIPERI

• This breed of cattle existed on the mountainous island ofPiperi as recently as ten year ago .By which time thelast bull was transferred to Skopelos

KYRA PANAGIA: AN IDEAL PLACE FORCATTLE RAISING

• On Kyra Panagia next to thegoat raising about 200 Cattlewere raised not only forplowing the land but also fortheir meat

THIS RARE BREED STILL EXISTS INCHALKIDIKI

• A herd of 200 animals are raised with the care of ashepherd

• A second heard belonging to the same person lives onthe mountains in a wild condition

BULLS FROM SYKIA AND PIPERI

“MOTHERS” FROM CHALKIDIKI AND PIPERRI

COWS ON ALONNISOS AND CHALKIDIKI

RE-INTODUCTION OF THE TRADITIONALCATTLE IN THE ISLANDS of the MARINE

PARK

• The islands of Alonnisos and Kyra Panagia sufferfrom over-grazing by goats. 4.390 goats are grazingillegally, violating the law for the Marine Park.

• The re-introduction of this rare breed of cattle,probably at the verge of extinction , could fit theconditions.

• Old cattle breed might be a good solution for theirconservation and the protection of the wild forests inKyra Panagia and Alonnisos