JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND ECOLOGY, vol.13, pp.2026-2034, 2012 (SCI-Expanded)
Wildlife includes terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates in Turkey. Nowadays, sustainable management of wildlife is one of the most popular topics in every country. Illegal hunting and habitat deterioration are among the greatest problems in terms of wildlife protection in Turkey. The major causes of this problem are the poor public awareness and the incompetence in wildlife education and management. The history of wildlife education and related topics in the world universities go back 200 years in Europe and in America and the first undergraduate department that was named 'Wildlife' was initiated in 1933 in the United States of America. Until today, wildlife education was considered as a secondary topic in various departments and as a result of the rising environmental awareness in the past 20 years wildlife has found a place as an independent department in the undergraduate education in Turkish universities. The first department With word 'Wildlife' included in its title was initiated in 2009 in Turkey, under the title of 'Department of Wildlife Ecology and Its Management'. Although the public awareness is rapidly increasing, serious problems are still being encountered due to the lack of educated managers who were specialised in wildlife management.