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TURKEY |
Information Sources |
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Location |
Southwestern Asia, borders the Black Sea |
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National websites |
Turkish Embassy |
More links for Turkey's environmental concerns |
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Embassy / Chancery in U.S. |
2207 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20008 |
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Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation |
Ministry of Environment Ministry of Forestry |
Other places that research biological diversity: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Center of Anadolu University. |
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Major Natural Resources |
Some of the country’s major natural resources are antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulphur, and iron ore. Nearly half of the workers in Turkey are employed in agriculture, which is an important part of the ecnonomy. Their most important crop is cereals, particularly wheat. Their most important exports include tobacco, cotton, dried fruit (hazelnuts, seedless raisins, figs, apricots), pulses (chickpeas and lentils), live sheep, goats, fresh fruits (apples and citrus fruits) and fresh tomatoes. About Wetlands cover over 10,000 sq km of Turkey, and forests cover 8856 sq km. |
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Major Environmental and Conservation Issues |
A major environmental problem in Turkey is soil erosion, with over 500 million tons of productions soils lost annually. Also, Turkey faces a huge problem in water pollution, specifically in the Black Sea. Coal-based heating systems and industrial and automobile emissions cause air pollution in Turkish cities. Deforestation due to firing and cutting is also an important issue in Turkey; land is over grazed and prepared for cultivation. There is also an effort to move towards more sustainable development, where forests, mountains, biodiversity, etc. are concerned. While Turkey as a country is determined to follow better environmental policies, it lacks many of the resources necessary (e.g., staff, equipment). At the moment, one of the most pressing issues is the imminent extinction of the Monk Seal, which is listed on CITES Appendix I. The seals, as well as the Green Turtle and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, are seen my fishermen as competition for the fish in the Mediterranean. |
Click here to see the Ecovolunteer web site for the conservation of seals in Turkey.Issues in economic aspect of conservation in Turkey. |
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Statistics |
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Land area |
779,450 sq km |
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Area of forest |
8,856 sq km |
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Area of wetlands |
>10,000 sq km (see Country profile - Turkey) |
Wetlands in Turkey |
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Area of territorial waters |
9,820 sq km |
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Population |
64,566,511 |
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Population Density |
83/Sq. km |
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Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels |
819,441sq km (including marine protected areas) |
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Fraction of land area protected (%) |
105% |
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Major Protected Areas |
Wetlands, National Parks, Nature Reserves |
Anatolia, A Place Worth Protecting (also has information on flora of Turkey) |
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Endemic Species |
Mammals 1 Birds
Reptiles 4 Amphibians 2 Fish
Invertebrates
Plants 2675
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Wild Life in Turkey (numbers are from 1990) |
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Endangered and Threatened Species |
Mammals 15 Birds 13 Reptiles 12 Amphibians 2 Fish 18 Invertebrates 9 Plants 1,827
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Go to the following link and click on turkey.pdf: Click here to read about Mammals of TurkeyInformation about the Monk Seal A number of links about Monk SealsWorld Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal Summary Statistics |
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Extinct Species |
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Species listed on CITES Appendix I |
19 according to CITES database |
Click on the link on the left and search for ALL CITES, Appendix II, Turkey. |
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Species listed on CITES Appendix II |
71 according to CITES database |
Click on the link and search for Appendix II, Turkey |
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Legislation |
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Laws protecting endangered or threatened species |
Environmental Legislation |
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Laws protecting endangered ecosystems |
Environmental Legislation |
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Signatory to CITES |
Ratified in 1996 |
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Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention |
Ratified in 1994 |
Click here to see National Report of Turkey for COP7, 1999 (in Spanish) |
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Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity |
Signed in 1992 |
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Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty |
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Member of International Whaling Commission |
Not a member |
International Whaling Commission |
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Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources |
Click on the link for a list of treaties |
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Non-government Organizations (NGOs), or chapters of international organizations concerned with the preservation of natural resources |
PK 971 Sirkeci 34436 Istanbul Tel.: +90-212-5282030 Fax: +90-212-5282040 E-mail: kelaynak@dhkd.org Date source: 16 March 1998 Menekse sokak 29/4 06440 Kizilay-Ankara Tel.: +90-4-4251944 Fax: +90-4-4179552 |
Ecovolunteer web site European Nature Conservation Organizations by Country (search for Turkey) |
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Natural Resource Use |
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Fisheries |
499,742 tons of fish caught per year |
See information on Monk Seal earlier on this page. |
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Forestry |
A journey to Turkey's Forests |
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Ecotourism |
Click here to see A list of tours in Turkey, including some related to ecotourism.ESCAPE ARTISTS TRAVEL organizes tours in Turkey "that embrace the principles of ecotourism." |
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Trade in wildlife products |
Live sheep and goats are two of Turkey’s most important exports. (see Country profile - Turkey)Trade issue: Many countries are exporting wastes to Turkey. Read about it: Turkey Waste Imports |
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Hunting |
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Other uses of natural resources |
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Human Impacts on Natural Resources |
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Air pollution |
Other countries have polluted the Black Sea, depleting it of many of its inhabitants (e.g. swordfish, tuna). For an article on this issue, click here: Turkey: Black Sea Pollution Depletes Fishing Stocks For information on saving the Black Sea: |
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Water pollution |
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Development activities |
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Introduced species |
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Legislation addressing these issues |
1988—Water Pollution Control Regulation 1985—Building Code Turkey has spent $66 million on water pollution control and $87 million on air pollution control. See Envirotech--Turkey |
For more information on these laws: Environmental Legislation |
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Restoration and Reintroduction |
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Programs for restoration of damaged habitat |
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Attempts for Nature Conservation in Turkey |
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Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species |
At least forty species are bred and then released to the wild. Click on the link to the right for a partial list. |
Attempts for Nature Conservation in Turkey |
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Return to
Endangered Species Protection around the WorldPage compiled by Sana Ahmedani as part of a class project in h90 "
The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA