Wildlife is thriving across Türkiye thanks to preservation programs covering most species endemic to the country.
Some 650 species, including 123 mammals, 386 birds and 141 reptiles are now under the protection of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The ministry’s Nature Protection and National Park Directorate operates breeding stations and rehabilitation centers for a diverse array of species, who are also fed and supplied water in their natural habitat.
Working with academics and experts, the government regularly updates preservation lists and currently, the number of wildlife species under protection is 650 out of 785 species living in the country. Some 113 other species are allowed to be hunted.
The preservation and sustainability of endangered species are of vital importance for Türkiye’s biodiversity as the country faces multiple threats in this field, from climate change to “bio-smugglers” hunting down rare, endemic animals. The country currently has 85 locations designated as sites of preservation for wildlife and aims to increase the number of species in the protected areas, which cover a total of 1.2 million hectares. Laws have been enacted for the protection of those lands, and species living there are also protected under international conventions for wildlife protection Türkiye participates in.
Preservation areas are home to a wide array of species from water birds to red deer, wild goats, gazelles, wild sheep, striped hyena, Caucasian grouse, pheasant, cinereous vultures, desert monitors, brown bears, caracals and Euphrates softshell turtles. Türkiye runs a census every year for large mammals as well in 62 wildlife preservation areas.
Elsewhere, species under threat are bred in 12 breeding stations across Türkiye. The stations provide a home and a place to grow for animals like wild sheep and mountain gazelles. In the past two decades, some 2,300 mammals were born in breeding stations and about 2,000 animals were released into their natural habitat. Nine other stations serve for breeding endangered birds. This year, 81,000 partridges and 24,000 pheasants bred in the stations were released into their habitat. Northern bald ibis, an endangered species endemic to southeastern Türkiye, also thrived thanks to preservation efforts. Their number across Türkiye rose to 300 from 42 in just 22 years since the comprehensive preservation work began.
The government also works on the protection of fisheries, especially a sustainable trout population. In nearly two decades, some 34 million trout bred in fisheries overseen by the government were released into nature.
The rehabilitation of species is carried out by 11 rehabilitation centers across Türkiye, working in cooperation with universities’ departments for veterinary sciences. More than 38,000 wild animals were treated and rehabilitated in the past nine years at those centers. This year alone, more than 8,000 animals were treated for injuries and diseases and released back to their habitats. In remote areas, wild animals are regularly fed in their habitats during the winter. The government also drilled water wells and created ponds for wild animals across the country to facilitate access to water for animals. Over the past eight years, 7,300 tons of food were supplied to wild animals in their habitats.
