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Turkey: “May Our Forests Never Thin Out”
The
people of Turkey have long been aware of the unique biodiversity of their
country and the importance of preserving natural habitats.More than a
millennium ago, the folk poet Dede Korkut wrote this prayer:
May
our big shade tree never be cut down
May
our forests never thin out
May
our clear running streams never dry up
May
we never be deprived of hope
May
our wings never be broken
May
our household fire keep burning
May
our torch never die down
While
Dede Korkut’s prayer seems to consign the fate of the environment to Allah and
to chance, modern Turkish people know they must pass laws and enforce
environmental policies to protect their environment.
Since
the 1950’s,
Turkey has been developing its environmental policies. Since 1997, the rules of the
Convention of Biological Diversity have been in force.
Turkeyis a party to all relevant international conventions having to do with the
conservation of biodiversity.According to the ever-evolving document, the
National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, Turkish legislation, however, has
never been “harmonized from a consistent environmental point of view which
presents frequent problems of overlap and lack of legal mandates for
institutions.”
Turkey’s
Unique Place
Among the World’s Environmental Systems
A
brief glance at a map of central Asia
reveals that Turkey holds a unique geographical position: it is also the genetic center or
“diversity center” for a large number of plants. It is at the crossroads of
the Mediterranean
and Near East
gene centers. Because of its position between Asia
, Europe
and Africa, Turkey has flora and fauna comprised of elements of all these continents.
The
120 species of mammals living in Turkey reflect its central geographic location: the lynx, wolves, brown bears, otters,
red deer , chamois, wild boar, squirrel and wild sheep represent European elements;
hyenas, porcupines, gerbils, antelopes, caracals, and leopards represent African
and Asian elements.
As
well as being a repository of plants and animals from many different countries, Turkey
is also home to several species of plants found nowhere else on the planet. Of
the 9,000 plant species in
Turkey, 3,000 are endemic to
Turkey.There are also 172 local varieties of apple trees, 253 of pear, 91 of
walnut, and 286 of figs.
Turkey’s
Environmental Challenges
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The darter species Anhinga
rufa is already extinct
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As
in any rapidly developing country,
Turkey’s enormous population growth destroys habitats and displaces many species of
animals.The leopard and the bald ibis bird are becoming extinct. The
darter species Anhinga rufa is already extinct.
Turkey’s concerns about biodiversity often take a backseat to the more pressing
issues of development and growth.Immediate prosperity often comes at the
expense of long-term prosperity.
Deforestation
and the Loss of Valuable Resources
Deforestation
is of particular concern to Turkish biologist, Dr. Aykut Kence, of Middle East Technical
University’s Department of Biology. He says, “There is an attempt to change the
constitution of Turkeyto allow for the sale of lands that were once classified as forests because
they have lost the properties that a forest must have. The government of
Turkeyexpects to receive billions of dollars of income by selling off these once
protected lands.This policy also encourages people who wish to buy this
land to cause the land to lose the properties of a forest—by burning the trees
off the land for instance. In the long run, the deforestation of
Turkeywill have important consequences for the country and the environment.
Invaluable resources are lost that should have been passed down to future
generations.Deforestation causes a chain reaction which reduces the
biodiversity of
Turkey’s land.”
Destruction
of Genetic “Libraries”
Turkey’s
flora and fauna are the heritage of all humankind.When any species of
plant or animal becomes extinct or is lost to mankind, it is like destroying an
entire library of genetic information.Dr. Kence says, “This
information, the experience gained and the solutions found to the problems faced
by living things throughout the course of millions of years of evolution, is
encoded as messages called genes. Genetic diversity can be defined as the
diversity or wealth of hereditary information of a species in its gene pool.The differences in genetic composition observed between local varieties of the
plant and animal species of economic importance are especially significant
because they reflect adaptations to different local conditions.”
Losing
vast stores of genetic information through loss of biodiversity is a global
tragedy in the making.Even by the most optimistic estimates, almost
one-fifth of the living species on earth face the danger of extinction within
the next twenty to thirty years.
Although
the massive disappearance of living species has been witnessed many times in the
biological history of the earth, those losses were spread over a much longer
time—perhaps a few million years.This destruction over a longer period
of time may have allowed ecosystems to adapt themselves to such losses and new
species evolved to take the place of those lost.
Dr.
Kence says, “The massacre of species caused by modern man is 400 times greater
than the losses of species in recent geological eras.A loss of diversity
of species of such dimensions has perhaps not been seen for at least the last 65
million years.A decrease of this magnitude and rapidity in the diversity
of species on the earth will also have negative effects on the future of
mankind.”
Dr.
Kence believes that the development of theoretical ecology, which includes
mathematical models of ecosystems, makes it even more important to preserve
genetic data.Otherwise, it is like losing the answers to the questions
before the questions can be asked. It is like “tossing a major part of a vast
library out into the street without even cataloguing it.”
Marine
Ecosystems of Turkey
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Red sponge, Aegean Sea
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By
looking at
Turkeyon a map, one notices that it is a peninsula surrounded by four seas:theBlack Sea
, theSea of Marmara
, theAegean
, and theMediterranean
. Of these surrounding seas, the Marmara and the Black Sea
are of the most concern ecologically. The
Danube River carries industrial pollutants from several European countries into the
Black Sea
thus affecting its underwater biodiversity. An international consortium of
nations and organizations is working to reverse this situation.
Despite
laws that require wastewater treatment plants for all Turkish industrial plants,
the Sea of Marmara
receives sewage and wastewater from the densest population centers of western
Turkey . The situation is especially serious in the Bay
of Izmit where a good many industries are located. This situation will improve as laws
are better enforced.
The
maritime traffic through the Turkish straits between the Black Sea
and the Sea of Marmara
is also costly to Turkish marine ecosystems.
Jeanene
Mitchell, a Fulbright Scholar researching international environmental law in Istanbul
, gives this account of the environmental issues in the Turkish
Straits that connect the Med
iterranean
Sea and the Black Sea:
"The
Turkish Straits play a crucial role in the biodiversity of the ecosystems of
both the Black Sea
and the Mediterranean. Various species of migratory fish, dolphins, and sea birds
traverse the straits seasonally, as do phytoplanktons and zooplanktons. Additionally, the Turkish Straits form an "acclimatization zone" for
transiting species, allowing those from the Mediterranean to adjust to the
different environmental conditions in the Black Sea, and vice versa. And
yet, pollution originating from increasing ship traffic is causing the Straits
to be referred to as a ‘closing biological corridor’ by marine biologists.
Various oil spills have significantly diminished algae and benthic organism
populations (benthic meaning those living on the bottom of the Straits), as well
as affecting local fish and sea bird populations. As an example, a snail introduced
by ballast water from the Sea of Japan
in the 1960s caused the extinction of all mussel and oyster beds in the
Sea of Marmara
thirty years later in the 1990s. Populat
ions
have still not fully recovered.
"The
introduction of exotic species from the illegal discharge of ballast
water
by transiting ships has also disturbed the ecological balance of the Straits.
These exotic species, sometimes having no natural
predators
in the Straits system, can create severe ecological imbalances by consuming
local species, as well as their eggs and larvae. Following
an oil spill in 1999, 90% of bottom-living
organisms within a 5 km vicinity of the accident perished, as well as over 3,000
sea birds.
"Increased
ship safety standards, greater observance of international environmental
regulations, and the pursuit of alternative routes for transport of oil and
other noxious substances are necessary to protect the marine biodiversity of the
Turkish Straits and keep this essential ‘biological corridor’ from closing
completely," concludes Mitchell.
What
Citizens Can Begin to Do Today
When
asked what people could do to preserve and protect Turkey’s biodiversity, Dr.
Kence offers these four suggestions that apply to people in all countries:
1.
Train and educate
your children in every possible way to protect the environment. In order to
do this, you need to set
an example for children to follow.
2.
Think of the
long-term effects of any development, rather than short-term profits. Always
consider future generations, your grandchildren, in thinking about the
environment.
3.
Vote
for the people who are most likely to protect the environment.
4.
Be conscious about the environment: stand
up and speak up for the environment. Realize that nobody can effectively
protect the environment for you.
Sources:
-
Öztürk
A. and Öztürk B., ‘Ship
Originated Pollution in the Turkish Straits System’. Proceedings of the
International Symposium on the Problems of Regional Seas, 12-14 May, 2001.
-
Convention
on Biological Diversity, ‘Turkey
National Report’.
-
Kence,
Aykut. ‘Biodiversity
in Turkey’.
*J.E.
Nigros holds a dual Master's Degree in Theology and Marriage and Family
Counseling from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. All
her adult life, Nigros has used her writing and public speaking talents to
promote her passionate views on family values, and to advocate for the rights
of people with disabilities. Her essays and articles have appeared in
newspapers and magazines all over the United States and Canada. She has worked
as an organizer, publicist, legislative activist, family advocate, news
writer, and newspaper columnist. Nigros has taught creative writing both in
workshop settings and at Heritage Academy in Mesa, Arizona. She has recently
published two novels and is currently residing in Turkey. You can reach
her at: wordscreate@hotmail.com.
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