Mavrovo National Park, Republic of North Macedonia - At a remote monastery in North Macedonia’s rugged west, Father Porfirij starts his day by feeding his large black Karaman sheepdogs, a breed that has guarded highland flocks for centuries.

In February, the Karaman – a hardy mountain shepherd – won provisional recognition as an indigenous breed from the International Canine Federation.

The decision caps years of work by breeders, scientists and Father Porfirij himself to define and preserve one of the region’s oldest breeds.

“They are very nice dogs, very peaceful,” the Orthodox priest told AFP, as he dished out the morning meal to the thick-coated hounds at their home in the centuries-old monastery.

Rooted in nomadic herding traditions, the Karaman is one of several breeds Balkan shepherds used to guard mountain-dwelling flocks against bears and wolves, a practice that dates back to Ottoman times.

For locals, the sheepdogs’ symbolism is deeply important.

The more famous Yugoslavian Shepherd, also known as the Sharplanina or Sharr, even features on the country’s currency.

But as rural populations decline across the region, the pastoral life that sustained the Karaman is fading, leaving just 2,000 of them registered in the country, according to Mr Ilija Karov, who heads a kennel club devoted to the breed.