Research Information System
Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society 2020 Annual Meeting, Oregon, United States Of America, 07 February 2020, pp.56
Turkey is one of the most biodiversity-rich
countries in the world due to its geographic location at a crossroads between
Europe, Asia, and Africa, supporting more than 11,000 plants, 160 mammals, 480
birds, 716 fish, and 141 reptile species. There are 44 national parks, 247
nature parks, 114 monuments of nature, 30 nature protection areas and also 81
wildlife reserve areas in Turkey. Unfortunately, support for wildlife
conservation in Turkey is minimal, including support for education, research,
and management. The densities and population status for most species are very
limited. Because there are few well-trained wildlife professionals in the
country, and until 2009 no formal university training in wildlife management. The
state agency responsible for wildlife and natural resources management in
Turkey is the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks
(GDNCNP). In terms of main technical staff sources of GDNCNP, forest engineers
have the highest numbers followed by biologists, forest industry engineers,
veterinarians, agricultural engineers, fisheries technology engineers,
geologists, and architects respectively. Although the history of education
about game hunting and wildlife conservation dates back 200 years in Europe and
America, the first university department in Turkey with the term “wildlife” in
its name was established in 2009 at Karadeniz Technical University. As the first step of solving the wildlife
management problem, it is a good way to start working with qualified staff with
wildlife education for sustainable use of natural resources. A change in the
structure of the institution (GDNCNP) is essential to overcome existing
challenges in natural resources management as soon as possible.