Peace has returned to Lake Van basin in eastern Türkiye thanks to the successful counterterrorism operations against the PKK terrorist group. Experts say wildlife is more visible and has significantly prospered across diverse habitats in recent years.

The basin in the eponymous province, which takes its name from Türkiye's largest lake, Lake Van, and other natural habitats in the region over the last four decades have been the scene of terror attacks, both in rural and urban areas. The PKK, which uses the mountainous areas as hideouts, often carried out its campaign of terror from there, displacing animals as well as the local population. Türkiye stepped up its counterterrorism efforts in the past few years with successive operations targeting terrorists and authorities say the number of terrorists in the region is now only in the "hundreds." Moreover, measures against illegal hunting also helped wildlife thrive in the region.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry also increased its efforts for sustainable wildlife, setting up breeding stations for several species like gazelles and birds and releasing them into a widened habitat, especially in the mountains.

Professor Lokman Aslan, director of the Wildlife Protection and Rehabilitation Center at Van’s Yüzüncü Yıl University, says the basin is one of the most important habitats for wildlife due to its wealth of wetlands and unspoiled nature. "Animals settle if an area is safe and calm and can help them safely breed and provide access to the food chain. The basin has no pressure from agricultural and industrial activities and the restoration of a secure environment additionally helped them to find the best habitat," he told Anadolu Agency (AA) last week. Aslan says animals are in search of a better environment, using the Çukurova and Konya plains as examples of places where the habitat was in danger of drought and pressure from heightened agricultural activities. At the rehabilitation center he runs, Aslan said one sign of "diversity" is the number of wild animals brought in for treatment. "They are more diverse than before," he says, listing bear cubs, foxes, wolves, jackals and a "rare" great bustard bird. "Barring the impact of climate change, the basin will have more diverse wildlife in the future," he added. In the summer flamingos are sighted in the basin while mountains are home to wild goats, wolves, hedgehogs, beavers and several endangered species.

Professor Özdemir Adızel from Yüzüncü Yıl University’s Department of Biology says they are working on a new inventory of wildlife species in the region. "We share the scientific data we obtain with authorities and new preservation programs are established. We see animals feel safer here," he says, giving the example of Lake Erçek. "There is an incredible increase in the number of birds now living there. We have about 240 bird species living there and the population of each species increased. Elderly people used to reminisce about wild geese visiting the lake decades ago. In the past two years, they came back. Elsewhere, the population of wild goats dramatically increased," he says. He added that the local population was also "more conscious now" of the importance of wildlife.

Türkiye carries out various preservation programs for wildlife and some 650 species, including the 123 mammals, 386 birds and 141 reptiles 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, 650 species of wildlife are under protection out of the 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 for the preservation of wildlife and aims to increase the number of species in the protected areas, which cover a total of 1.2 million hectares (3 million acres). Laws have been enacted for the protection of those lands, and species living on them are also protected under international conventions for wildlife protection that 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.