Domesticated taxa

Biodiversity is not composed only of wild flora and fauna, and their ecosystems, but also the nature that man has altered in any way over history, and the breeding and selecting of particular characteristics he has adapted to meet his needs. Over recent decades, agriculture worldwide has been moving towards more intensive production, focusing on a small number of plant varieties and animal breeds with the most desirable characteristics. This kind of production is becoming less and less natural, and the varieties and breeds not adapted to the local climate have proven to have lower resistance to disease, and are thus much more demanding in terms of the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers, chemical additives to animal feed and the like, and this in turn negatively reflects on the environment and on people.

Over thousands of years, many domesticated taxa have become adapted to the habitats created by man. They have developed "local" varieties of cultivated plants and "ecotypes" of domesticated animals. The protection of biodiversity also implies the recording and preservation of native varieties of cultivated plants and domesticated animal breeds in individual countries. These varieties and breeds, adapted to the local climate, are more resistant to disease and are most often perfectly adapted to the surrounding nature and landscape. Their diversity represents a genetic source that can always be used to improve the properties of bred species. Furthermore, they represent part of our natural cultural heritage, as many generations of knowledge and experience, in combination with the living conditions and climate, have gone into their breeding.

In Croatia, unfortunately, these issues are still not fully regulated by law. Though there is a list of the native animals breeds in Croatia, to date there is no comprehensive list of domesticated varieties of cultivated plants.

In order to conserve genetic diversity, ex situ protection methods are very important. For that reason, a plant gene bank has been established in Croatia, and is kept at the Institute for Seeds and Seedlings in Osijek.

There are many causes of threat to domesticated taxa: changes in practices and strategies in agricultural protection (favouring a small number of highly productive varieties), socioeconomic changes in rural areas (migrations of the rural population), non-systematic concern for genetic diversity and a lack of legislation.

In general, little attention is paid in agriculture to the diversity of domesticated taxa, particularly to the protection of native plant varieties and animal breeds. The most common crops are cereals (primarily corn and wheat), followed by oil crops (soy, sunflower, rapeseed) and sugar beets. Commonly grown fruits are apples and plums in the continental part of the country, while olives, grapes and some citruses, particularly mandarins, are dominant in the Mediterranean part of the country. Many native varieties of wine grapes and fruit species have been neglected and are gradually dying out.