Büyük Menderes Delta (760)
Turkey, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Büyük Menderes Deltası
Central coordinates: Latitude: 37.5333, Longitude: 27.1833
Elevation (m): 0 to 100
Area of KBA (km2): 246.256
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Situated at the junction between the Büyük Menderes river and the Aegean, the delta comprises lagoons (separated from the sea by a narrow sandbar), extensive salt-steppe and mudflats. A north-south running motorway forms the eastern border of the IBA; west of this salt-steppe has been partially converted to arable land. To the north the delta is bordered by the hills and mountains of the Dilek peninsula. Human activities include cattle- and sheep-grazing.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. 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: The area is important for breeding and wintering waterbirds.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture (20%) | fisheries/aquaculture (30%) | hunting (15%) | not utilised (35%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 40 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 20 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 40 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Irrigation projects, including 13 reservoirs, have been and are being developed on the Büyük Menderes river with severe consequences for large tracts of natural habitat. Industrial and untreated urban waste enters the lagoons via the river, and, along with water-level fluctuations and over-fishing, has caused fisheries to collapse. There is considerable pressure to build holiday homes. From 1991 to 1995 DHKD ran an education project both in this site and Bafa lake (site 021), and have assisted the National Park authorities in drawing up a management plan.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Ongoing |