Sally Furniss
Well-known member
Migratory birds ignore Amik Plateau
Friday, July 18, 2008
HATAY - Anatolia News Agency
Migratory birds have been stopping less frequently at the Amik Plateau, a unique highland that is located in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Hatay, where birds have spent a certain amount of time in past years.
Vanishing water resources and excessive hunting are the main causes behind this, said experts.
The Faculty of Agriculture at Mustafa Kemal University, or MK?, the only university in Hatay, launched a two-year project to explore the spots where migratory birds come together on the Amik Plateu, said Mustafa Atmaca, a faculty member at the Department of Landscape Architecture at MK?.
After two years of observation, experts from MK? discovered that there has been a tremendous decline in the number of bird species that pass over and stay at the Amik Plateau.
The team of experts conducted examinations near the Asi River, the Afrin Stream and G?lbaşı, three major spots on the Amik Plateau that used to be home to about 250 different bird species. They noted that the current number of bird species staying in the region is only 70, said Atmaca.
�Amik used to be home to various types of migratory birds such as the dove, the pelican, the duck, and the kingfisher. But every year, we have fewer of those species. These birds should be protected,� he said, pointing out that the habitat for these birds should also be well preserved.
Migratory birds that arrive at Amik in March and December every year spend their time near water resources, where they find sufficient food and water. In April, they brood. �But in the last two years, as we have observed, these birds have begun to leave the Amik Plateau for ?ukurova, another plain in Adana province, mainly because the lakes in Amik have dried at considerable levels. So the birds have begun to migrate, often to water-rich ?ukurova, in order to give birth to babies,� said Atmaca.
Precautions should be taken
Farmers who are undergoing hard times due to the current water problem, which is mainly believed to be caused by global warming, have begun using excessive amounts of water from the lakes located on Amik Plateau. �In addition, most of the migratory birds have become scared due to unprofessionally carried out hunting activity, which results in a shrinking habitat in the area,� said Atmaca. �If necessary precautions are not taken, we shall lose the remaining 70 bird species,� he added.
Atmaca said they are also readying for another project, in which they plan to draw a map of certain spots where migratory birds stop in Amik. �Preserving the bird species and saving the lakes from drying out in Amik is our priority,� he concluded
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=110134
Friday, July 18, 2008
HATAY - Anatolia News Agency
Migratory birds have been stopping less frequently at the Amik Plateau, a unique highland that is located in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Hatay, where birds have spent a certain amount of time in past years.
Vanishing water resources and excessive hunting are the main causes behind this, said experts.
The Faculty of Agriculture at Mustafa Kemal University, or MK?, the only university in Hatay, launched a two-year project to explore the spots where migratory birds come together on the Amik Plateu, said Mustafa Atmaca, a faculty member at the Department of Landscape Architecture at MK?.
After two years of observation, experts from MK? discovered that there has been a tremendous decline in the number of bird species that pass over and stay at the Amik Plateau.
The team of experts conducted examinations near the Asi River, the Afrin Stream and G?lbaşı, three major spots on the Amik Plateau that used to be home to about 250 different bird species. They noted that the current number of bird species staying in the region is only 70, said Atmaca.
�Amik used to be home to various types of migratory birds such as the dove, the pelican, the duck, and the kingfisher. But every year, we have fewer of those species. These birds should be protected,� he said, pointing out that the habitat for these birds should also be well preserved.
Migratory birds that arrive at Amik in March and December every year spend their time near water resources, where they find sufficient food and water. In April, they brood. �But in the last two years, as we have observed, these birds have begun to leave the Amik Plateau for ?ukurova, another plain in Adana province, mainly because the lakes in Amik have dried at considerable levels. So the birds have begun to migrate, often to water-rich ?ukurova, in order to give birth to babies,� said Atmaca.
Precautions should be taken
Farmers who are undergoing hard times due to the current water problem, which is mainly believed to be caused by global warming, have begun using excessive amounts of water from the lakes located on Amik Plateau. �In addition, most of the migratory birds have become scared due to unprofessionally carried out hunting activity, which results in a shrinking habitat in the area,� said Atmaca. �If necessary precautions are not taken, we shall lose the remaining 70 bird species,� he added.
Atmaca said they are also readying for another project, in which they plan to draw a map of certain spots where migratory birds stop in Amik. �Preserving the bird species and saving the lakes from drying out in Amik is our priority,� he concluded
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=110134