<
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260909-the-quest-to-save-turkeys-lake-of-birds>
“In the middle of an icy drizzle on a cold day in October, Çağan Hakkı
Şekercioğlu stands at the edge of Lake Aktaş with his binoculars, watching the
birds. The lake sprawls across the Turkish-Georgian border. On this grey and
quiet morning, it is thickly dotted with birds just visible through the mist.
Şekercioğlu spots coots, pelicans, and even a sociable plover, which is a
critically endangered species.
"This is the last lake in Turkey remaining where both Dalmatian pelicans and
great white pelicans still come," says Şekercioğlu.
Within sight of Lake Aktaş is the village of Kenarbel, little more than a few
stone houses with tin roofs and nearby fields of mud and cows. Within sight is
also a military base, watching this hinterland that used to be one of the
borders between Nato and the Soviet Union. It now serves as one of multiple
entry points for locals hoping to pop over the Georgian border for cheaper wine
and cigarettes. The military base is what keeps the villagers from boating on
the lake, picnicking on its islands, and disturbing its lush collection of
migratory birds.
The part of northeastern Turkey that holds Lake Aktaş is one of the most
important migratory bird sanctuaries not just in Turkey, but the entire world.
The birds of this region represent 68% of all the bird species in Turkey.
These crucial wetlands are drying, fast. With four in five of Turkey's lakes
already dried up, Şekercioğlu and a small team of ecologists is racing to save
this last bastion for the world's birds.”
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
