First comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of the flora of the Çukurova Deltas, southern Turkey

The Çukurova Deltas on the southern coast of Turkey, with their high biodiversity, are one of the most important wetland and RAMSAR sites in the eastern Mediterranean basin. The total native flora comprises 600 plant taxa, including many endemic and threatened taxa. In an examination of this flora,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oryx 2005-01, Vol.39 (1), p.17-21
Main Authors: Çakan, Halil, Yilmaz, K. Tuluhan, Düzenli, Atabay
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brackish
Coasts
Ecosystems
Endangered & extinct species
Flowers & plants
Freshwater
Habitats
IUCN categories
RAMSAR site
Rivers
sand dunes
southern Turkey
threatened flora
Threats
Tourism
Vegetation
wetland
Wetlands
Çukurova Deltas
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The Çukurova Deltas on the southern coast of Turkey, with their high biodiversity, are one of the most important wetland and RAMSAR sites in the eastern Mediterranean basin. The total native flora comprises 600 plant taxa, including many endemic and threatened taxa. In an examination of this flora, 62 taxa (31 endemic and 31 rare taxa for Turkey) were categorized as having restricted distributions and being under threat of extinction. To assess the conservation status of the threatened flora, the IUCN Red List categories and criteria were applied at both a regional and global scale. The distribution of threatened flora in the study area was analysed in relation to four principle habitats: sand dunes (mobile or fixed) and sandy beaches (with 64.5% of all taxa), salt flats and salt water marshes (16.1%), river banks and fresh water marshes (9.7%), and field margins and roadsides (9.7%). Sand dunes and sandy beaches were identified as the most threatened habitats, being both sensitive to disturbance and heavily affected by humans. This Red Data List is a first step towards the recognition of conservation problems in the Çukurova Deltas and the need for more effective conservation of their flora.
ISSN:0030-6053
1365-3008
DOI:10.1017/S0030605305000049