Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Turkey, situated where two dif- ferent gene and diversity centres overlap, is the gene and origin centre of many cultivated plants and grains [ ] 224 The current biodiversity situation in Turkey Conservation zones cover 6 per cent of the entire country and are moni- tored at the ecosystem level. The reg- ular monitoring of species listed in the Hunting and Fisheries Laws is in place at the species level. A national monitoring unit has been established in the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs (MFWA) to perform monitor- ing at both the species and ecosystem levels, and it is currently gaining effect. The MFWA conducts controls and investigations at local level under the Regulation on the Environmental Impact Assessment, and monitors any activities that may have adverse impacts on the environment, taking measures to remove the impacts to the greatest extent possible. Also, any activities that may have adverse impacts on the monk seals and sea turtles such as sand-hauling from the sea, fishing, and industrial wastes, are followed up under the monitoring programmes implemented for the two species, which are endangered. The mainstreaming of biodi- versity into relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral strategies; plans and programmes in the classical sectors based on natural resources; and a new project, the “Ecological Econo- my Action Plan,” have been prepared and will be carried out between 2015 and 2017. A new national synergy study is also planned. A project on Climate Change and Biodiversity has been prepared, with the possibility of support from the GEF. The MFWA and the Ministry of National Education conduct regu- lar training and awareness raising activities. A national strategy that urges public awareness-raising and involvement under the GEF-funded Biological diversity and Resource Management project, has been devel- oped. This is followed by a strategy and action plan that urges capacity building of NGOs concerning biolog- ical diversity under the same project. The national biological diversity website has been constructed in both English and Turkish. Also, NGOs from the environmental sector are playing a significant role in pub- lic-awareness raising and enhancing sensitivity. T urkey displays a limited but relatively diverse biological presence. The country has agricultural, forest, mountain, steppe, wetland, coastal and marine ecosystems and different forms and combinations of these. Of the biogeographical zones, the Euro-Siberian extends throughout northern Anatolia and in those parts of the Thracian Region that face the Black Sea. This is the climatic region with the highest rainfall and is largely covered with forests. The Mediterranean Biogeographical Zone covers all areas on the Mediterranean coast and the western parts of Thrace and includes very different types of ecosystem. The Irano-Turanian zone is the largest of the Biogeographical Zones, starting in Central Anatolia and extending as far as Mongolia. The continental climate and steppe flora are predominant in this zone. Turkey Sarah Yeomans on flickr Turkey