Wetlands of Turkey
Many wetlands in Turkey are Ramsar sites, that is they have been designated as internationally important. As of 2025, there are 14 Ramsar sites, which were designated between 1994 and 2013.
Wetlands in Turkey
in Turkey are diverse, ranging from alluvial forests, lagoons, saltmarshes and even a caldera lake. Around the time of the formation of modern Turkey after WW1 there were almost 1400 natural wetlands covering almost 14 thousand km2, but by 2014 over 20% of wetland area had been drained and 900 wetlands remained. In the early 21st century a law was passed to protect wetlands.In 2023 the Turkish Nature Association called for Turkish agriculture policy to be changed to protect the water cycle, and they say that water policy is the biggest threat to biodiversity.
As well as Ramsar sites there are also nationally and locally important wetlands, and as of 2021 there are 66 plans. According to Caterina Scaramelli, research assistant professor of anthropology and earth and environment at Boston University, local people are not properly consulted. Because the Directorate of Wetlands Conservation is part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, she says there is a conflict of interest. As of 2022 ecosystems services are not well understood, and some water is not sustainably managed by river basin.