Page 260 - 7. State Of Environment Report Of Türkiye

The crossbreeding of local breeds of livestock with foreign breeds has brought about the dan-
gers of loss of local gene resources. In the Black Sea coastline, almost all local cattle have been
converted into Jersey breeds. However, only 25% of the indigenous breeds have been crossbred
with cultivated breeds and 75% remain pure. Again, the ‘Kıvırcık’ sheep of the Thrace Region has
been crossed with the German ‘Ots-Friz’ breed in order to improve the Tahirova breed, and this
has led to genetic erosion of both endemic breeds. Some sheep varieties such as ‘Karakul’ living
in the northern transition zone and ‘Tuj’ living in Kars region are under the threat of extinction.
Another threatened native animal breed is the Ankara goat, which is under protection to pre-
vent its complete extinction.

Studies on the genetic diversity of aquatic species and invertebrates (especially insects) are in-
sufficient.

F.1.4.Agricultural Land and Steppe Biodiversity

Agricultural biodiversity is a broad term that encompasses all of the biodiversity components
related to food and agriculture and that make up agroecosystems. It refers to the diversity and
variability of plant, animal and micro-organisms at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels
that are necessary to sustain the key functions, structure and processes of agro-ecosystems.
In a more detailed definition, agricultural biodiversity includes plant genetic resources, including
genetic resources of trees, animal genetic resources, including fish and insect genetic resources,
microbiological and fungal genetic resources, components of agricultural biodiversity that pro-
vide ecosystem services and abiotic factors (nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition and
maintenance of soil fertility, pest and disease management, pollination, enrichment and main-
tenance of local wildlife and habitats within their landscapes, maintenance of the water cycle,
erosion control, climate and carbon balance) and socio-economic and cultural factors (traditio-
nal knowledge, cultural factors, agricultural landscapes, etc.).
The main ecological regions of Türkiye in terms of agriculture are Mediterranean Coastal Region,
Aegean Coastal Region, Black Sea Coastal Region, Thrace and Marmara Region, Central Anatolia
Region, Southeastern Anatolia Region, Eastern Anatolia Region and Gateway Regions (Northwest
Gateway, Western Gateway, Northeastern Gateway, Eastern Gateway, Southeastern Gateway).
This zoning system, based on main climatic elements such as precipitation and temperature,
covers the diversity of agricultural products and the regional and phenological characteristics
of agriculture.

Coastal regions can generally be defined as agricultural production regions located in the Medi-
terranean climate zone. The Central, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia Regions are the regions
where the harsh continental climate is predominant, and the characteristics of agricultural pro-
ducts also bear the effects of these ecological regions. Transitional regions, on the other hand,
are agricultural regions covering a few provinces in the transition from the centre of Central
Anatolia to the other regions, which are more or less different from each other in terms of both
climatic factors and general agricultural characteristics.

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