The association is located in Plan? ?ountain, between Vitosha and Rila, area Elata, and only at 27 kilometers from Sofia. Altitude is 1200 meters.
Part of the activities of ECB will be carried out in protected areas of the ecological network NATURA 2000 Vitosha Nature Park - BG0000113, Plana mountain - BG0001307 and Lozen mountain.
Project Target Groups
Target groups of ECB are: ethnographic and ecoturists, scientists, students and people studying and interested in local primitive breeds, children and adolescents with academic and educational purpose, which will teach the traditional method of growing karakachan dog and horse, the local community - introduction to the practice of agri-environmental measures and sustainable land management, preventing depopulation of mountain areas, the importance of biodiversity in mountain areas.
Goal and expected impacts
Preservation of local indigenous breeds, of Bulgarian customs and culture; implement sustainable practices for the conservation; management of mountain grass habitats of endangered animals and plants.
Objectives and expected results
? Establishing in a period of three years of tribal herd of Karakachan pure horse between 35 (thirty-five) and 60 (sixty)
? Establishing in a period of three years a kennel with 40 (forty) karakachan pure-bred dogs
? Establishing in a period of three years of a farm for breeding and rearing karakachan horses and dogs
? Development in a period of three years of ethnographic and ecological tourism, introduction, cultivation and use of karakachan horses and dogs
Major activities
- Established ? stable group of karakachan horses
- Sustainable breeding and breeding under natural conditions to prevent modification of the breed type
- Pure breeding to preserve the breed
- A group horses released to the wild, bred and reared in traditional terms, of which 14-15 will be used for riding.
- Creating a sustainable population of karakachan dog
- Maintaining and preserving the population of 5 breeding lines
- Keep working on the qualities of Karakachan dog
- Training dogs to guard herds
- Pure breeding
- Built stable on an area of 234 square meters and it will represent the place where the horses for tourism will be during the winter.
- Built doghouse / kennel
- Rent agricultural land
- Created a sustainable products
- Built a wooden fence around the farm
- Renovated existing building adapted for the needs of the project
- Built ? road
- Create a specific and sustainable tourism product
- Popularizing of the both breeds
- Riding and trekking in a caravan to the Vitosha, Plana and Lozen mountains areas,
- Maintain 14-15 working horses for riding
- Informative education activities
- Create a website in four languages
- Making brochures
- Contact with travel agency
- Developed routes for tourists