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gions begin. In addition, lakes with different characteristics and isolated from each other in high
mountain areas form special habitats.
The most important volcanic mountains that add unique values to biodiversity especially with
volcanic lake formations are Ağrı, Tendürek, Nemrut, Süphan, Karacadağ, Erciyes, Hasan and Kula
mountains. Volcanic mountains are also important for agricultural biodiversity with their mine-
ral-rich soil.

F.1.1.5. Inland Water Ecosystems

Türkiye has inland water resources which are very important for maintaining biological diversity
with its rivers and lakes covering an area of approximately 10,000 km . In the studies carried
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out so far, 921 wetlands larger than 8 ha have been identified throughout Türkiye. Türkiye has 7
drainage basins including 25 river basins and groundwater is estimated to be 94 billion km . The
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average annual precipitation level is about 640 mm and about one third of this amount reaches
water reserves and contributes to the survival of wetlands.

The largest of the natural lakes is Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia, with an area of 374,000 ha and
high salinity. There are some saline shallow lakes on the Central Anatolian Plateau, the largest of
which is Salt Lake (128,000 ha). Salt Lake dries up almost completely in summer and is covered
with a 30 cm thick layer of salt. Only salt-resistant vegetation grows around the lake. Lakes,
marshes, deltas, reeds and mud flats are very important for wildlife, especially birds. More than
half of the bird species in Türkiye are migratory. Wetlands are important resting and wintering
habitats for water birds.

There are nine rivers in Türkiye with a length of more than 500 km: Kızılırmak, Fırat, Sakarya,
Murat, Aras, Seyhan, Dicle, Yeşilırmak and Ceyhan. The annual discharge of the rivers in Türkiye
is about 41 billion m into the Black Sea and 36 billion m into the Mediterranean Sea. The Dicle
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and Fırat rivers flow into Iraq and Syria, respectively. Deltas are of great importance in terms of
biological diversity, especially for water birds. Meriç, Gediz, Büyük Menderes and Küçük Men-
deres Deltas formed by the rivers flowing into the Aegean Sea and Göksu, Seyhan and Ceyhan
Deltas formed by the rivers flowing into the Mediterranean Sea create habitats suitable for a
large number and species of waterfowl, especially as a result of the freezing of lakes in Anatolia
in winter. The delta formed by the Kızılırmak River, which flows into the Black Sea, is of great
importance especially for migratory birds crossing the Black Sea directly.

The geographical structure of Türkiye is very complex and the rivers are separated by mountai-
nous regions, which greatly hinder the spread of species, resulting in high endemism and gene-
tic diversity. The vast majority of invertebrates living in river ecosystems are therefore endemic.
Since the salinity of the waters in the Köyceğiz-Dalyan region varies from zero to extremely
salty, it is a good example of the relationship between habitat and species diversity. Lindenia
tetraphylla is a new species in Türkiye and has been recorded as endangered in the Balkans. Ar-
todiaptomus burduricus, which lives in Lake Burdur and has adapted to different conditions, is an
endemic invertebrate species and is important in terms of genetic diversity. Aphanius burduricus,
also living in Lake Burdur, is an endemic fish species adapted to lake conditions. Similarly, Albur-
nus tarichi, an endemic fish species living in Lake Van, has adapted to the extreme conditions of
this lake.

In the wetlands of Türkiye, plants such as sedge (Typha sp.), reed (Phragmites sp.), cattail (Scho-
enoplectus sp.), toad rush (Juncus sp.) form large communities. In addition to plants such as wa-
ter lily (Nymphae sp.) covering the water surface, duckeodendron (Phodophyllum sp.), duckweed
(Wolffia sp.), lemna minor and underwater plants such as Ceratophyllum sp., Myriophyllum sp., Po-
tamogeton sp. are found in shallow lakes.

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