In the category BIO-CAPITAL: Innovative Monitoring and Financing of Biodiversity, Olha Kruhliak from the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics nd. a. M.V.Zubets of National Academy of Agrarian Science of Ukraine was recognised for her exceptional submission, “Frozen for the Future: A Family’s Story of Saving Ukraine’s Animal Heritage.” Her moving narrative blends personal history with scientific innovation, showcasing how biobanking, monitoring tools, and novel conservation approaches can safeguard biodiversity for generations to come. The winning story embodies the spirit of BIO-CAPITAL by revealing how technological and financial innovations can protect ecosystems and preserve irreplaceable genetic heritage.

 

 

My story in science is really a story about my family.

It begins not with me, but with my father - Andrii Kruhliak, a well-known Ukrainian scientist in the field of animal breeding. And it also goes back to his teacher, Ihor Vasylovych Smyrnov, who made history in 1947 by freezing the sperm of sheep, bulls, stallions, and rabbits for the first time. In 1948, he became the first person in the world to produce healthy rabbit offspring from frozen sperm. This was the beginning of cryobiology – the science of preserving life at very low temperatures.

In 1975, continuing his teacher’s work, my father founded the Bank of Genetic Resources of Cattle of Ukraine. He personally collected genetic material from local Ukrainian breeds and brought valuable samples from the USA, Canada, and many European countries. In total, the bank holds material from bulls of more than 50 breeds and crossbreeds. It became a powerful tool for improving local breeds and creating new ones – including Ukraine’s first national dairy breed, the Ukrainian Red-and-White.

Today, this bank is officially recognized as a National Treasure of Ukraine. It holds the genetic material of some animal breeds that no longer exist in real life – only in this frozen collection.

Of course, I have always been proud of my father. But I wanted to follow my own path. I studied economics and focused on how financial tools can help modernize agriculture. But the deeper I went into this topic, the more I realized that I also needed to understand the technology behind it.

At the same time, my father was facing the opposite challenge – he needed economic analysis to measure the impact of his breeding methods. And this is how our scientific paths crossed. We became research partners.

Our first joint project focused on saving local and endangered farm animal breeds in Ukraine – not just from a biological, but also from an economic perspective. Later, my sister Tetiana, who is a professional breeder, joined our team. Now the three of us work together to study the effectiveness of crossbreeding strategies in the Ukrainian Red-and-White dairy breed.

Our recent study shows that while Holstein cows have high milk production, their use in full absorptive crossbreeding often leads to a decline in important traits of the local breed – especially in milk quality (fat and protein content) and reproductive health.

That is why we propose a different approach – a flexible two-breed crossbreeding system, to keep valuable traits while still improving performance. This will help preserve Ukraine’s animal biodiversity, while also making economic sense for farmers.

This is more than just science. This is a story about how collaboration between generations can solve real problems. And how science can connect family, history, and the future.

In today’s world – and especially in Ukraine – preserving our living genetic heritage is an act of resilience. Without biodiversity, there can be no strong recovery or sustainable future.

Our family story is not only about the past. It is about what we save for tomorrow.

 

Link to authors ORCID:  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7963-4564