Murat Mountain (785)
Turkey, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Murat Dağı
Central coordinates: Latitude: 38.9833, Longitude: 29.7167
Elevation (m): 800 to 2309
Area of KBA (km2): 1309.4238
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An extensive mountain range comprising a high, barren, east-west running ridge. All slopes are extensively forested below 2,000 m with Pinus and Quercus. Large areas have been clear-felled and reforested˜these are intensively managed and bisected by numerous tracks. Grazing pasture is found at higher altitudes; a holiday village is located around hot springs on the northern slopes.
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 is an important site for breeding raptors.
Habitats
Land use: forestry (80%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 | |
| Grassland | 10 | |
| Forest | 86 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: A 1996 survey indicated that larger numbers of Aegypius monachus bred within the site before large-scale clear-felling and reforestation pro-grammes were implemented. Forestry activities should take account of the distribution of breeding raptors (leaving an unmanaged buffer zone around each breeding valley), and old pine trees should not be felled.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Only in the past and unlikely to return |