Wildlife of Turkey

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The wildlife of Turkey is abundant and diverse. Turkey is a large country with many geographic and climatic regions and a great diversity of plants and animals, each suited to its own particular habitat. About 1,500 species of vertebrates and 19,000 species of invertebrates have been recorded in the country. Some of the world's staple crops were first cultivated in this area and many of their wild relatives are still found here. The country acts as a crossroads for many birds during migration, connecting Europe, Asia, and the Near East.

Contents

Ecoregions

Topographic map of Turkey with the Aegean Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean to the south Turkey topo.jpg
Topographic map of Turkey with the Aegean Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean to the south

The geography of Turkey is roughly rectangular, being more than 1,600 km (990 mi) east-west and 800 km (500 mi) north-south. Turkey's 783,562 km2 (302,535 sq mi) of land is divided into two parts by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles; European Turkey makes up only 3% of the country, with the rest being in Asia and often known as Anatolia.

The country has varied topography with fertile coastal plains contrasting with mountainous regions in the centre and eastern part of the country. The climate of Turkey also varies, with the weather systems found near the coasts contrasting with those prevailing in the interior. The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The interior of the country has a continental climate with severe weather on the Anatolian plateau in winter and hot, dry summers. These large differences in climate are reflected in an extremely diverse flora and fauna. [1]

The ecoregions of Turkey include the important [2] terrestrial Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests and Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests. There are also small areas of bottomland forest. [3] Turkey includes portions of three biodiversity hotspots: the Mediterranean Basin, the Caucasus, and the Irano-Anatolian. [2]

Flora

Flora of Akdogan Mountains, Eastern Anatolia Region. Qucan region is completely brown soil. Other places are semi-brown and consist of different types of soil. Floraofsouthakdoganlake.svg
Flora of Akdoğan Mountains, Eastern Anatolia Region. Qûçan region is completely brown soil. Other places are semi-brown and consist of different types of soil.

Turkey is home to about 11,000 species of flowering plants, a third of which are endemic to the country. This area played a key role in the early cultivation of wheat, other cereals, and various horticultural crops. [1] The country is divided into three main floristic areas: the Mediterranean, Euro-Siberian, and Irano-Tranian area. [4] The flora of the European part of Turkey is similar to that of adjoining Greece. The ecoregions here include Balkan mixed forests dominated by oaks and containing Scots pine, Bosnian pine, Macedonian pine, silver fir and Norway spruce, [5] and Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests where some of the main species are oaks, strawberry tree, Greek strawberry tree , Spanish broom and laurel. [6]

The Euro-Siberian area is a mountainous part of western Turkey. Here the flora transitions from the Mediterranean vegetation type to the Anatolian plateau. The dominant vegetation cover here is forests of oak and pine, especially Anatolian black pine and Turkish pine. [7] Further east is the Anatolian plateau, a largely treeless area of plains and river basins at an average altitude of 1,000 m (3,300 ft). This area is characterised by hot dry summers and cold winters. Salt steppes and lakes are found here, as well salt-free grassland areas, marshes and freshwater systems. Immediately around the large Lake Tuz and other saline areas, saltmarsh plants grow, and beyond this is a sharp divide, with the flora being dominated by members of the families Chenopodiaceae and Plumbaginaceae. [8]

The mountainous eastern half of the country is separated floristically from the rest of the country by the Anatolian diagonal, a floral break that crosses the country from the eastern end of the Black Sea to the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. Many species found to the east of this break are not found to the west and vice versa, and about four hundred species are only found along this divide. [9] The natural vegetation in eastern Turkey is the Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests; in these oaks such as Brant's oak, Lebanon oak, Aleppo oak and Mount Thabor's oak predominate in open woodland with Scots pine, burnet rose, dog-rose, oriental plane, alder, sweet chestnut, maple, Caucasian honeysuckle (Lonicera caucasica) and common juniper. [10]

Fauna

Human-made nests for Northern bald ibises in Birecik Birecikcolonynests.JPG
Human-made nests for Northern bald ibises in Birecik
Loggerhead sea turtle nesting places by the Mediterranean Sea Caretta caretta nesting.png
Loggerhead sea turtle nesting places by the Mediterranean Sea

Turkey has a large range of habitat types and a great faunal diversity. Nearly 1,500 vertebrate species were recorded, of which over 100 species, mostly fish, are endemic. The country is on two major routes used by migratory birds which increase in numbers during spring and autumn. The invertebrate fauna is also very diverse, with about 19,000 species being recorded including 4,000 endemics. [11]

Fungi

There are over 12,000 varieties of mushroom in Turkey, [12] some of which are edible. [13]

Threats

Threats to biodiversity include desertification due to climate change in Turkey, [14] which is forecast to move the ecoregions northwards, [15] and large scale infrastructure projects such as those near Istanbul. [16] Land degradation threatens biodiversity loss, [17] and water scarcity is also a problem. [18] Küre and Kaçkar Mountains National Parks have been suggested for rewilding. [19] Several marine fish and mammals have greatly declined, in part due to overfishing. [20]

Policy

Turkey enforced the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats from 1999, [21] but according to one study laws and legal decisions still had some deficiencies in 2019, especially regarding migratory species and international coordination. [22] The government plans to increase protected areas from the 9% in 2019 to 17% by 2023. [23] Official restrictions on access to environmental information [24] hamper biodiversity monitoring. [25] In 2020 it was suggested that more use of remote sensing and citizen science could help to make the first complete map of the nation's land cover. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatolia</span> Peninsula in West Asia

Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula or a region in Turkey, constituting most of its contemporary territory. Geographically, the Anatolian region is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Turkish Straits to the north-west, and the Black Sea to the north. The eastern and southeastern boundary is either an imprecise line from the Gulf of Iskenderun to the Black Sea, or the southeastern and eastern borders of Turkey. Topographically, the Sea of Marmara connects the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea through the Bosporus strait and the Dardanelles strait, and separates Anatolia from Thrace in the Balkan peninsula of Southeastern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests</span> Biome

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean Basin</span> Region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate

In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin, also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea, is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and warm to hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation. It was a very important part of Mediterranean civilizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in Northern Anatolia, Turkey

The Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion located in northern Anatolia, Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Mediterranean conifer–sclerophyllous–broadleaf forests</span> Ecoregion in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin

The Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests, also known as the Eastern Mediterranean conifer-broadleaf forests, is an ecoregion in the eastern Mediterranean Basin. It covers portions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irano-Anatolian</span>

The Irano-Anatolian region is a biodiversity hotspot designated by Conservation International's Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, extending across portions of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. This hotspot covers the South-West portion of the Irano-Turanian floristic region, connecting the Mediterranean Basin with Western Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balkan mixed forests</span> Terrestrial ecoregion of Europe

The Balkan mixed forests are a terrestrial ecoregion of southeastern Europe according to both the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency. It belongs in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome and the Palearctic realm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illyrian deciduous forests</span> Terrestrial ecoregion of Europe

The Illyrian deciduous forests is a terrestrial ecoregion in southern Europe, which extends along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It belongs to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, and is in the Palearctic realm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora of Italy</span> Plant species of Italy

The flora of Italy is all the plant life present in the territory of the Italian Republic. The flora of Italy was traditionally estimated to comprise about 5,500 vascular plant species. However, as of 2019, 7,672 species are recorded in the second edition of the flora of Italy and in its digital archives Digital flora of Italy. In particular, 7,031 are autochthonous and 641 are non native species widely naturalized since more than three decades. Additionally, further 468 exotic species have been recorded as adventitious or naturalized in more recent times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrrhenian–Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests</span> Ecoregion in Southern Europe

The Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests is an ecoregion in southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia, and Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub</span> Habitat defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature

Mediterranean scrub is a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in some areas rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near colder seas. Winters are typically mild to cool in low-lying locations but can be cold in inland and higher locations. All these ecoregions are highly distinctive, collectively harboring 10% of the Earth's plant species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Anatolian deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in Central Anatolia, Turkey

The Central Anatolian deciduous forests, also known as the Central Anatolian woodlands and steppe, is a Palearctic ecoregion of the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome. It is located in Central Anatolia, Asian Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey

The Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests ecoregion is located in the mountains of eastern Turkey. It is a Palearctic ecoregion in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in Southern Anatolia, Turkey

The Southern Anatolian montane conifer and deciduous forests ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, is in the eastern Mediterranean Basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed forests</span> Ecoregion in Southwestern Anatolia, Turkey

The Anatolian conifer and deciduous mixed forests is an ecoregion located in southwestern Anatolia, Turkey. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Greece</span>

The wildlife of Greece includes the diverse flora, fauna, and funga of Greece, a country in southern Europe. The country is mostly mountainous with a very long, convoluted coastline, consisting of peninsulas and many islands. The climate ranges from Mediterranean through temperate to alpine, and the habitats include mountains, hills, forests, rivers, lakes, coasts and cultivated land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests</span>

The Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the interior valleys and plateaus of the Iberian Peninsula. The ecoregion lies mostly in Spain, and includes some portions of eastern Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests</span>

The Pyrenees conifer and mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It extends along the Pyrenees mountains which run east and west along the border between France and Spain, and includes all Andorra. The ecoregion extends from the lower slopes of the Pyrenees to its highest peaks, which include Aneto, Posets, and Vignemale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alps conifer and mixed forests</span> Ecoregion in Central Europe

The Alps conifer and mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in central Europe. It extends along the Alps mountains through portions of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Slovenia. The ecoregion extends from the lower slopes of the Alps to its peaks, which include Mont Blanc, at 4,809 m (15,778 ft) the highest peak in the Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest in Turkey</span> Woodland and maquis in the Eurasian country

Forest now covers less than a third of Turkey, but ten thousand years ago the land was mostly wooded. The country is reforesting, which is important for the wildlife of Turkey.

References

  1. 1 2 Muminjanov, H.; Karagöz, A. (2018). Biodiversity of Turkey: Contribution of Genetic Resources to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Ankara: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   978-92-5-130959-9.
  2. 1 2 "Animals and Plants Unique to Turkey". lntreasures.com. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  3. ↑ Efe, Asuman; Alptekin, Ünal (1989). "ÖNEMLİ BİR SUBASAR ORMANI:HACIOSMAN (AN IMPORTANT BOTTOMLAND FOREST IN TURKEY)". forestist.org. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  4. ↑ "Turkey's Flora". All about Turkey. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "Eastern Europe: Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia: Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Southeastern Europe: Along the coastline of Greece and Turkey, stretching into Macedonia: Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrubs". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Southeastern Europe: Western Turkey: Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrubs". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Western Asia: Central Turkey: Temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Öztürk, M.; Hakeem, K. R.; Faridah-Hanum, I.; Efe, R. (2015). Climate Change Impacts on High-Altitude Ecosystems. Springer. p. 100. ISBN   978-3-319-12859-7.
  10. ↑ "Turkey: Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  11. ↑ Biodiversity in Turkey. IUCN. 2012.
  12. ↑ Team, The Guide (2018-09-10). "Fungi season: wild mushrooms in Turkey". The Guide Istanbul. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  13. ↑ (PDF) https://www.ogm.gov.tr/tr/e-kutuphane-sitesi/Yayinlar/Common%20Edible%20Mushrooms%20From%20T%C3%BCrkiye%20and%20the%20Mediterranean%20Basin.pdf.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ Kazancı, Nizamettin; Kuzucuoğlu, Catherine (2019), Kuzucuoğlu, Catherine; Çiner, Attila; Kazancı, Nizamettin (eds.), "Threats and Conservation of Landscapes in Turkey", Landscapes and Landforms of Turkey, World Geomorphological Landscapes, Springer International Publishing, pp. 603–632, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-03515-0_36, ISBN   9783030035150, S2CID   134498356
  15. ↑ Ergüner, Yasemin; Kumar, Jitendra; Hoffman, Forrest M.; Dalfes, H. Nüzhet; Hargrove, William W. (2019-01-01). "Mapping ecoregions under climate change: a case study from the biological 'crossroads' of three continents, Turkey". Landscape Ecology. 34 (1): 35–50. doi: 10.1007/s10980-018-0743-8 . ISSN   1572-9761.
  16. ↑ The Northern Forests Defense Activists (January 2019). "THE ECOLOGY STRUGGLE IN THE MEGAPOLIS: DEFENDING THE NORTHERN FORESTS AND THE CITY" (PDF). Saha. Special Issue 2: 39–44. ISSN   2149-7885.
  17. ↑ "Efforts to protect biodiversity in Turkey still insufficient: NGO official - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  18. ↑ SABAH, DAILY (2021-01-21). "WWF Turkey starts campaign to combat water scarcity, save Meander". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  19. ↑ ERDÖNMEZ, Cihan (2020). "Yeniden Yabanlaştırma: Ekosistem Yönetiminde Bir Yaklaşım" (in Turkish).
  20. ↑ Ulman, Aylin; Zengin, Mustafa; Demirel, Nazli; Pauly, Daniel (2020). "The Lost Fish of Turkey: A Recent History of Disappeared Species and Commercial Fishery Extinctions for the Turkish Marmara and Black Seas". Frontiers in Marine Science. 7. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00650 . ISSN   2296-7745.
  21. ↑ Zeldin, Wendy (June 2013). "Regulations Concerning the Private Possession of Big Cats: Turkey | Law Library of Congress". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  22. ↑ Elvan, Osman Devrim; Birben, Üstüner; Ünal, Hasan Emre (2020-08-24). "The effectiveness of the Bern Convention on wildlife legislation and judicial decisions in Turkey". International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. 21 (2): 305–321. doi:10.1007/s10784-020-09498-0. ISSN   1567-9764. S2CID   221258260.
  23. ↑ "More areas to be preserved in bid to keep biodiversity intact". DailySabah. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  24. ↑ OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Turkey 2019. 2019. doi:10.1787/9789264309753-en. ISBN   9789264309746. S2CID   242969625 . Retrieved 2019-06-13– via www.oecd-ilibrary.org.
  25. 1 2 Demi̇rbaş Çağlayan, Semi̇ha (2020). "An Appraisal of Biodiversity Monitoring in Turkey Within the Framework of Essential Biodiversity Variables" (PDF). Middle East Technical University.
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