Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen
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Through Breed and Biodiversity
History
The GEH was founded on 5 December 1981 in the Rottal, in Lower Bavaria in southern Germany. It has about 2100 members. Since it was founded, no domestic livestock breed has become extinct in Germany.
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Activities
The GEH co-operates with other national and international organisations for the conservation of biodiversity. 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 and turkeys, and of bees; listing of domestic pigeon breeds is in preparation. 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.
The GEH also publishes, in conjunction with the Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter, 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.
Endangered breed of the year
Since 1984 the GEH has each year named one or more animal breeds as "endangered breed of the year". To date, these have been:
- 1984: Kärntner Brillenschaf or Jezersko–Solčava (sheep)
- 1986: Murnau-Werdenfelser (cattle)
- 1987: Schwäbisch Hällisches (pig)
- 1988: Schleswig Coldblood (horse)
- 1989: Waldschaf (sheep)
- 1990: Angeln Saddleback (pig)
- 1991: Rhönschaf (sheep)
- 1992: Hinterwälder (cattle)
- 1993: Thüringer Wald Ziege (goat)
- 1994: Westphalian (chicken)
- 1994: Diepholzer Gans (goose)
- 1994: Pomeranian duck
- 1995: Bentheim Black Pied (pig)
- 1996: Schleswig Coldblood (horse)
- 1997: Rotes Höhenvieh (cattle)
- 1998: Weiße gehörnte Heidschnucke (sheep)
- 1998: Altdeutscher Hütehund (dog)
- 1999: Mangalica (pig)
- 2000: Rottaler (horse)
- 2001: Bayerische Landgans (goose)
- 2001: Bergischer Kräher (chicken)
- 2001: Bergische Schlotterkamm (chicken)
- 2001: Krüper (chicken)
- 2002: Angeln (cattle), old breeding goals
- 2003: Großspitz and Mittelspitz (dog)
- 2003: Deutscher Pinscher (dog)
- 2004: Leutstettener (horse)
- 2004: European Dark Bee
- 2005: Bentheimer Landschaf (sheep)
- 2006: Deutsches Sattelschwein (pig)
- 2007: Murnau-Werdenfelser (cattle)
- 2008: Bronzepute (turkey)
- 2009: Alpines Steinschaf (sheep)
- 2010: Meißner Widder (rabbit)
- 2011: Limpurger (cattle)
- 2012: Deutscher Sperber (chicken)
- 2013: Leineschaf (sheep), original type
- 2014: Dülmener (horse)
- 2015: Deutsche Karakul (sheep)
- 2016: Original Braunvieh (cattle)
- 2016: Glan cattle (cattle)
- 2016: Deutsches Schwarzbuntes Niederungsrind (German Black Pied, cattle)
- 2017: Deutsche Pekingente, German Pekin (duck)
- 2017: Orpington Duck
- 2017: Warzenente (duck)
- 2018: Altwürttemberger (horse)
- 2019: Mangalica (pig)
- 2020: Pustertaler Sprinzen and Old German herding dogs