In the PhD-thesis "Genes, Gastronomy and Gratitude - The development and future of the conservation of native breeds" Ulla Ovaska has examined the development and future of conservation in two case studies; the conservation of native breeds in Finland and the conservation of the Yakutian Cattle in the Russian Federation.
The main research questions examined, among other things, how the need for conservation has changed over time, how the different actors has argued for this need and how the conservation is organised.
Arguments for the conservation of native breeds consists mainly of, according to Ovaska, economic, biological and cultural factors.
One of the conclusions in the thesis is that native breeds can be maintained if there are actors willing to aim for common goals.
T
he thesis will be presented at Tampere University, Finland, on the 20th of October.