Turkey the richest country in terms of wildlife in Europe, Turkey having different kinds of species from crocus to cyclamens, liquidamber to cedar of Lebanon, ladybeetle to hawk, bonito to turbot, scops owl to golden eagle, forest dormice to monk seal. Due to their key roles in Turkey hosts many ecologically, economically and scientifically important large carnivores like gray wolf, jackal, red fox, brown bear, striped hyena, leopard, jungle cat, wild cat, wild goat and wild sheep and many more.

There are many protected endangered species include turtles which lay their eggs in the vast sandy beaches of the Mediterranean. Two species breed in Turkey, where efforts to protect them have been extremely successful. A tourism development project at Koycegiz has been scrapped to preserve the breeding grounds of Caretta. Almost disappeared rare monk seals are found in turkey. Despite the fact that Turkey is an ancient land still many areas which have remained virtually untouched, enabling many rare species of wildlife. There are many Migratory Birds have taken benefit of Turkey's tactical position as a bridge connecting Europe to Asia and Africa for thousands of years. Two among the four main migration route in the bio-geographic region passes through here, in spring and autumn. In spring migratory birds fly northwards from Africa to Asia and Europe, and in autumn they leave their breeding grounds to fly south to Africa again.

The diversity of fauna in Turkey is even greater than that of wild plants. While the number of species throughout Europe as a whole is around 60,000, in Turkey they number over 80,000. If subspecies are also counted, then this number rises to over a hundred thousand. As in the case of plants, Anatolia is the original homeland of several species.

Being the richest country in terms of wildlife in Europe, Turkey hosts different kinds of species from cyclamens to crocus, cedar of Lebanon to liquidamber, ladybeetle to hawk, bonito to turbot, scops owl to golden eagle, forest dormice to monk seal. Due to their key roles in Turkey's nature dynamics and high threat levels, WWF-Turkey's wildlife studies are concentrated on large mammals. Turkey hosts many ecologically, economically and scientifically important large carnivores like gray wolf (Canis lupus), jackal (Canis aureus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), brown bear (Ursus arctos), striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena), leopard (Panthera pardus), jungle cat (Felis chaus), wild cat (Felis silvestris), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), caracal (Caracal caracal) and badger (Meles meles). The large herbivores forming the prey basis for carnivores are wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow deer (Dama dama), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), wild goat (Capra aegagrus) and wild sheep (Ovis gmeliini).

Today, large mammals are considered as one of the best indicators of regional biodiversity. They play a key role in sustaining the dynamic balance of Turkey's nature. However, rampant hunting activities, habitat fragmentation and degradation, intensive grazing in pastures, overuse of pesticides and poisons, unplanned urban development, wrong forestry policies, low law enforcement and the limited capacities of local organizations are the main obstacles for effective conservation and management of wildlife in Turkey.

WWF-Turkey executes wildlife projects to understand the current status of large mammals and the priorities for their conservation. WWF-Turkey collaborates with legal parties in different regions of Turkey for the execution of those wildlife projects by utilizing new and secure scientific data and methods. Establishing communication between the stakeholders and strategies to solve problems are developed. WWF-Turkey promotes large mammals as flag species in conservation and protecting Turkey's nature cooperating with World Conservation Union Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC), Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe and Large Herbivore Initiative for Europe of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

WWF-Turkey has started these projects to analyze the current status of selected large mammal species and important large mammal areas in Turkey, and to determine the priority tasks and projects for ensuring the long-term survival of selected large mammal species through collaboration with relevant governmental organizations and other stakeholders.

Imagine going on a turkey hunt only to find there are no wild turkeys! It sounds far fetched, but in the early 1930s this grand game bird was on the verge of extinction. But today, thanks to hunters and wildlife restoration programs, the wild turkey is abundant and thriving in its homeland.

Wild turkeys are native to North America and there are five subspecies: Eastern, Osceola (Florida), Rio Grande, Merriam's and Gould's. All five range throughout different parts of the continent. The eastern is the most common and ranges the entire eastern half of the U.S. The Osceola (Florida) is only found on the Florida peninsula, while the Rio Grande ranges through Texas and up into Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. Rios are also found in parts of the northwestern states. The Merriam's subspecies ranges along the Rocky Mountains and the neighboring prairies of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. And you can find Gould's throughout the central portion of Mexico into the southernmost parts of New Mexico and Arizona.

Between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers cover the body of an adult turkey in patterns called feather tracts. A turkey's feathers provide a variety of survival functions-they keep him warm and dry, allow him to fly, feel and show off for the opposite sex. The head and upper part of the neck are featherless, but if you look close, you can see little bumps of skin on the bare area.

Most of the feathers exhibit a metallic glittering, called iridescence, with varying colors of red, green, copper, bronze and gold. The gobbler, or male turkey, is more colorful, while the hen is a drab brownish or lighter color to camouflage her with her surroundings.

Two major characteristics distinguish males from females: spurs and beards. Both sexes have long powerful legs covered with scales and are born with a small button spur on the back of the leg. Soon after birth, a male's spur starts growing pointed and curved and can grow to about two inches. Most hen's spurs do not grow. Gobblers also have beards-tufts of filaments, or modified feathers, growing out from the chest-which can grow to an average of nine inches (though they can grow much longer). It must also be noted that 10 to 20 percent of hens have beards.

Wild turkeys have excellent vision during the day but don't see as well at night. They are also very mobile. Turkeys can run at speeds up to 25 mph, and they can fly up to 55 mph.

When mating season arrives, anywhere from February to April, courtship usually begins while turkeys are still flocked together in wintering areas. After mating, the hens begin searching for a nest site and laying eggs. In most areas, nests can be found in a shallow dirt depression, surrounded by moderately woody vegetation that conceals the nest.

Hens will lay a clutch of 10 to 12 eggs during a two-week period, usually laying one egg per day. She will incubate her eggs for about 28 days, occasionally turning and rearranging them, until they are ready to hatch.

A newly-hatched flock must be ready to leave the nest within 12 to 24 hours to feed. Poults eat insects, berries and seeds, while adults will eat anything from acorns and berries to insects and small reptiles. Turkeys usually feed in early morning and in the afternoon.

Wild turkeys like open areas for feeding, mating and habitat. They use forested areas as cover from predators and for roosting in trees at night. A varied habitat of both open and covered area is essential for wild turkey survival.

Lack of quality habitat was a problem in the past, but with the passing of the Pittman-Robertson Act in 1937, an excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, wildlife restoration programs now have money to use to restore wild turkeys and wild turkey habitat. And with the invention of the rocket net, wildlife agencies and the NWTF can trap and transfer turkey populations to areas of suitable habitat.

From only 30,000 turkeys in the early 1900s to nearly 7 million today, this intriguing species has truly made an awesome comeback.

Geographically, Turkey forms a natural bridge between the old world continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. The Anatolian peninsula is the westernmost point of Asia, divided from Europe by the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. Thrace is the western part of Turkey on the European continent.

Examination of Turkey's topographic structure on a physical map of the world shows clearly the country's high elevation in comparison to its neighbors, half of the land area being higher than 1000 meters and two thirds higher than 800 meters. Mountain ranges extend in an east-west direction parallel to the north and south coasts, and these are a principal factor in determining ecological conditions. This also means that apart from the Asi river in Anatolia and the Meriç in Thracian Turkey, all Turkey's rivers have their sources within its borders and flow into the sea, into neighboring countries or into interior drainages. Turkey has seven river basins. The principal rivers in the Black Sea basin being the Sakarya, Kizilirmak Yesilirmak and Çoruh. There are also several rivers with short courses but high water flows in the Eastern Black Sea region, such as the Ikizdere, Hursit Cayi and Firtina. The highest waterfall in Turkey is on the Totum river here.

The Marmara basin has fewer rivers, the longest being the Kocaçay (whose upper and middle reaches are called the Simav and Susurluk respective) which rises on Mount Murat and flows into the Marmara sea from the south.

The Kücük Menderes, Büyük Menderes and Gediz rivers in the Aegean basin lend their names to the plains which they water.

In the Mediterranean basin the principal rivers are the Aksu, Köprüçay, Manavgat, Göksu, Ceyhan and Seyhan. The Manavgat waterfall on the Manavgat, Düden waterfall on the Düden and Yerköprü waterfall on the Ermenek are among the scenic attractions of the region. The Aladag waterfall springing directly from the mountainside are one of the sources of the sources of the Seyhan river.

Two major rivers flow from Turkey into the Caspian Sea basin, the Aras and Kura.

Water from Turkey flows into the Indian Ocean through the Gulf of Basra via the famous Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

Turkey also has two inland drainage basins. The first is the Central Anatolia basin which contains the Tuz Gölü (salt lake) in Konya, and the Yay, Seyfe, Kulu and several other satellite lakes. The major river in this basin is the Çarsamba which is out flow of Beysehir Lake and contributes a large volume of water for irrigation of the fertile Konya Plain, and is linked by a canal to Tuz Gölü.

The Karasu, Incesu, Deliçay and Bendimahi rivers flow into the interior drainage basin of Van. There are waterfalls on the Bendimahi.

Another significant aspect of Turkey's topography is its continental character, preserved in the ancient name of Asia Minor. This land mass is indeed a small scale continent in many respects, above all with respect to the climate of the interior. In some provinces the temperature difference over 24 hours can be as much as 20 degrees Centigrade. During the spring months it is not unusual to find weather typical of two or even three seasons at different locations around Turkey in a single day. The Mediterranean coast may be enjoying summer heat while the temperate Black Sea region gets as much as 2000 mm of precipitation in some places, there are parts of Central Anatolia with an average precipitation only one eighth of this total.

These wide variations in temperature and precipitation affect the country's flora and fauna, both in quantity and in range of species. some parts of Turkey consist of arid highlands whereas others are thickly forested, and differences such as these play a crucial role in the distribution of wildlife around the country.

The fact that Anatolia is surrounded on there sides by sea, its situation in the temperate climatic zone, its geological and geomorphic structure, and topography are all contributing factors. The four seas around Turkey each reflect a different ecological character. Salinity is 18 per thousand in the Black Sea, 23 per thousand in the Marmara Sea, 32 per thousand in the Aegean and 38 per thousand in the Mediterranean. There is no other country in the world with such a wide variation of salinity levels along its shores, and the variations in ecological structure of these seas affects the life forms which inhabit them, from phyto planktons and seaweeds to fish and marine mammals such as dolphins.

Geological and topographic structure are among the main factors affecting diversity of species in terrestrial ecosystems. While the mountain ranges running parallel to the Black Sea and Mediterranean create a barrier for rain clouds moving inland, they cause abundant rainfall on the mountain slopes facing the coast. On the Aegean the mountain ranges run perpendicularly towards the coast, divided by broad valleys which allow the maritime climate to prevail several hundred kilometers inland. Allusion carried by the rivers has created fertile plains in this Aegean region. Eastwards these mountain ranges move closer together in Central Entail, spreading apart once more in northeast and southeast Turkey. The height of plains and plateaus in Central Anatolia varies from 700 to 1100 meters, while in Eastern Anatolia this rises to 1100-19 hundred meters, and drops to 700-500 in Southeast Anatolia. Despite the existence of broad plains and plateaus, the topography is largely hilly and mountainous across Turkey as a whole.

Turkey has one peak of over 5000 meters in altitude (Mt. Ararat), three over 4000 meters and 129 peaks exceeding 3000 meters. Such an irregular topographic structure has created a wide diversity of ecological conditions and species. Now let us take a look at the geological history of the country, which has also played a part in creating the natural diversity which exists today.

Towards the end of the Quaternary Era the earth underwent four ice ages. During the cold periods when the glaciers expanded, animals seeking warmer climes moved southward into the Iberian peninsula, the Anatolian peninsula and Southeast Asia. This migration enabled these species to survive periods of glaciations. While some later returned to their former habitats, others remained in their new homelands, which explains why Turkey's wildlife today includes species of northern origin.

The distribution of flora and fauna species along a north-south axis during these glacial periods shifted to an east-west axis during temperate intervals. This further increasing the biological diversity.

The main migratory routes for birds between Asia, Europe and Africa pass over Turkey, and this has also been a factor in expanding the number of species found here for part of the year.

The combination of all these factors has resulted in a diversity of native plant animal species which is one of the highest in the world. While in terms of bio-geographic region Turkey lies in the Palaeartic zone, native species include those typical of the Oriental and Ethiopian regions. When we remember that bio-geographic regions cover vast areas, the significance of a species range drawing on there different regions can be better appreciated.

A comparable diversity can be seen in the human history of Turkey, where since prehistoric times many different peoples have settled, some to build civilizations and others to pass on to other continents. As a consequence this soil has been fought over time and time again so strategic in geopolitical terms. Over the past ten thousand years more than twenty peoples have left their mark on Turkey. Civilizations have risen and fallen in successive waves some falling victim to invasion by newcomers, some to disease epidemics, and others to natural disasters such as earthquakes.

Fresh water sources have always been a key determinant in human settlement, and where these sources have been related to tectonic faults. they have attracted settlers into areas close to earthquakes centers.

Natural resources which have benefited mankind in various ways for thousands of years have gradually been used up. Forests and their wildlife have suffered most from this process. Not only have trees been felled for timber and firewood, but set alight deliberately by ancient peoples as a means of capturing enemy towns. Even using primitive axes, people were able to destroy vast tracts of forest. Deforestation has led to serious erosion, which began around 2700 years ago. Yet despite thousands of years of destruction by logging, herds of goats, and fire, Turkey still has large tracts of beautiful natural forest land.