Turkey's Key Biodiversity Areas

As indicated on the map appearing on our homepage, 266 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) have been identified in Turkey. These sites cover 14.894.169 hectares (about 19% of Turkey's total surface area) and 80% of these lack a formal protection status. 184 of these sites also correspond to Important Bird Areas. In the scope of the European Union's Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) and Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), these areas need to be integrated to the Natura 2000 network that Turkey is committed to partake.

Turkey's KBA map does not reflect the final list of the country's KBAs as new sites will certainly be added to this list with more research and studies on species and their habitats.

Yüksekova, in Hakkari, is among Turkey’s many Key Biodiversity Areas that lack any conservation status Photo: Fatih Pınar / ATLAS

Background on Turkey's KBAs

Since the 1980's that Turkey's internationally important KBAs and their boundaries have been a topic of research. The first study regarding Turkey's Important Bird Areas was published in 1989 by Doğal Hayatı Koruma Derneği (DHKD) and BirdLife International (ICBP at that time). This study was followed by an inventory of globally threatened marine sea turtles (DHKD/WWF Turkey) as well as the Mediterranean monk seals sites (SAD-AFAG) in 1997. Turkey's Important Bird Areas were revised in 1997 and 2004 by DHKD and Doğa Derneği respectively.

In 2003, InsectLife International has published an inventory including Turkey's Important Butterfly Areas. The same year, Important Plant Areas of Turkey and an updating of the sea turtles sites were launched by WWF Turkey.

There have also been particular studies concerning some of the regional KBA assessments. Among the regions that have been studied in depth are the city and vicinities of Istanbul, the Konya Closed Water Basin and South-Eastern Anatolia.

Turkey's Biodiveristy

Turkey is often known as the "craddle of civilisations." In fact, this unique and strategic crossroads of peoples has its roots in a similarly diverse network of ecosystems and species. In order to understand and appreciate the biodiversity that is embedded in its landscapes, it is worth reflecting on Turkey's biogeographic history.

It was 65 million years ago that the great Pangea had split into the current continents' shapes and positions, including Anatolia. It was during this period that seasons appeared distinct and that mammals, flowering plants and insects began to disperse. With the sliding and colliding of the African continent towards Europe and Asia, some of the major mountain chains (the Alps in Europe; the Toros Range and the Northern Anatolian Mountains in Turkey) have been formed. These tectonic movements triggered the rising of the Central Anatolian Plateau and the surrounding mountain chains and led to the isolation of the species populations of, which later evolved as new species. This phenomenon largely explains the fascinating diversity of the plant species in Turkey.

Due to its unique geographic position, naturalists and geographers have had many debates about where Turkey belongs. Even though it is often classified as being part of Asia, its proximity to Europe and Africa has led to it sharing many common features with these continents. During different historical periods, Anatolia has served as a natural bridge for the species common to all three continents and still supports many of these characteristics. Today, species encountered in Europe can mostly be seen in the Black Sea and Western Anatolia; African species in the coastlines of Turkey's Mediterranean shores and South-Eastern Anatolia; and species of Asiatic origins in Central and Eastern Anatolia.

Combined with Anatolia's complex topography and geomorphology, Turkey's location at the junction of three continents makes it a key country for global biodiversity conservation. These geographical features account for a great variety of habitats and species, particularly, for an exceptionally rich flora. With nearly 9,000 species of vascular plants and ferns, Turkey has the richest flora of any country in the temperate zone, with a level of endemism of almost 34% (3,022 species). New plant species are still being discovered in Turkey at a rate of more than one a week.

Globally threatened animals such as Monk Seal (Monachus monachus), Urial (Ovis orientalis) and Euphrates Soft-shell Turtle (Rafetus euphraticus) still survive in pristine landscapes of the country in relatively large numbers. Turkey is also of outstanding value for threatened and migratory birds and is known to hold several endemic insects and inland fish species. Many species whose ranges are largely confined to Mediterranean, Euro-Siberian, Alpine, Irano-Turanian and Saharo-Sindian biomes meet in Anatolia, making a substantial contribution to European biodiversity. Moreover, significant components of one Endemic Bird Area, three Biodiversity Hotspots and five Global 200 Ecoregions extend into Turkey.