Kocaçay Delta (742)
Turkey, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Kocaçay Deltası
Central coordinates: Latitude: 40.3833, Longitude: 28.4833
Elevation (m): 0 to 20
Area of KBA (km2): 384.20564
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: A complex of coastal lakes, marshes and forests on the southern shores of the Sea of Marmara, where the Kocaçay river enters the sea. The western half of the delta comprises two lagoons, reedbeds (Phragmites), extensive Fraxinus, Alnus and Salix alluvial forest, and a wide dune strip. The eastern half is more open with one large lagoon, arable land, orchards, dunes, reedbeds and Salicornia- and Tamarix-covered mudflats. Human activities include cattle-grazing.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard. KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Mediterranean Hotspot (2017). Taxonomy, nomenclature and global threat category follow the 2016 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: This site is important for breeding, wintering and passage waterbirds. Several species of woodpecker also breed. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria: Haliaeetus albicilla (one of the few confirmed Turkish sites).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (15%) | fisheries/aquaculture (10%) | forestry (5%) | hunting (5%) | not utilised (60%) | tourism/recreation (5%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 40 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 15 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 23 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 23 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Forests and other natural habitats are cleared for arable land and Populus plantations. Yeniköy is developing as a tourist centre and further expansion eastward should be halted. Sand-dunes are destroyed to fulfil the demand for sand. Housing complexes are encroaching from the east; the recent demolition of illegally built houses indicates this is now less of a threat. The effects of urban and industrial pollution on the delta's ecology are unknown. Effective management of the wetland is constrained by disputes over land ownership.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Sewage | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Ongoing | |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing |