The exhibition "Turkey: The Miracle of Nature", organised by Doða Derneði, BirdLife International’s Partner in Turkey, and hosted by Cem Özdemir, Member of the European Parliament, presents a range of stunning photographs which highlight Turkey’s richness in biodiversity but also its urgent need for protection and conservation.

Turkey’s exceptional nature includes several thousand plant and animal species only existing in this country as well as pristine habitats ranging from dry semi-deserts to lush old growth forests and the largest salt lake in Europe. Unfortunately these pristine habitats are under severe threat. Turkey has lost half of its wetlands in the last sixty years. Large scale water projects such as the planned Ilisu Dam could cause further irreversible damage to more than two hundred internationally important natural sites remaining, particularly river valleys, which host globally significant populations of hundreds of species. Intensification of agriculture threatens sustainable rural development, while today farming is still relatively nature friendly in many parts of the country. Agricultural habitats and steppes make up nearly half of Turkey’s surface area of internationally important natural areas.

Doða Derneði has identified Important Bird Areas and Key Biodiversity Areas which will provide the baseline for determining which areas will ultimately become part of the EU’s network of protected areas, Natura 2000. The results have been published in a two volumes book documenting the treasures of Turkish nature with exceptional photographs.

Güven Eken, Doða Derneði’s Director states: “We ask the Turkish Government to urgently grant adequate protection to these areas that already qualify as part of the EU’s network of protected areas. Turkey should start to implement the EU’s nature protection legislation to ensure that this unique heritage is saved until and after EU accession, and not sacrificed to unsustainable development.”

In the context of Turkey’s EU accession process, Cem Özdemir MEP adds: “We call on the European Commission and all EU member states to carefully monitor their development projects in Turkey to ensure that no damage is caused to current and future protected areas.”

Konstantin Kreiser, EU Policy Manager at BirdLife International stresses: “For the accession process it is absolutely essential that Turkey already now starts to comply with the EU’s environmental standards, including the appropriate use of environmental impact assessments for plans and projects.” These important steps must be taken immediately to halt damage to what is Turkey’s “Miracle of Nature”.