Turkey: a bridge between two continents
Did you know that out of 12,500 seed plant species in the entire continent of Europe 11,000 are present in Anatolia alone? This and other interesting facts about Turkish biodiversity and conservation efforts are in the spotlight of this month's European Country Focus.
Turkey is located in three biogeographical regions and their transition zones. The country’s territory consists of forests, mountains, steppe, wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems and different forms and combinations of these systems. This extraordinary ecosystem and habitat diversity has produced considerable species diversity. Anatolia is home to the Fallow Deer and the Pheasant. The fact that Turkey is located on two major bird migration routes in the world makes it an important feeding and breeding area for birds.
In this month’s feature you can read about how conserving wetlands can contribute to climate change adaptation in Turkey. You can find out about the Kaçkar Mountains and the conservation activities which take place there. What is more, the CITES Convention is part of the pre-accession process of Turkey to the EU. And the globally endangered Egyptian Vulture in Central Anatolia is the subject of fervent conservation activities. In addition, an interesting photo gallery gives a series of snapshots depicting Turkish biodiversity.
The IUCN National Committee of Turkey was established in 2005 and has been working on conservation topics since then. There are 6 IUCN Members in the Committee.
Find out more about Turkey’s conservation efforts here.