The land is very fertile and more than half is farmed,[2] with all of the first and second delta plains and most of the third dominated by agriculture.[7]
The ecology of the delta faces some threats. As water is pumped off fields seawater is intruding, making part of the delta saltier. Also as sediment is caught in upstream dams the coastline is receding, and this is forecast to continue, and sea level may rise because of climate change in Turkey.
Geography
The Kızılırmak is the longest river entirely within Turkey, and has the second largest drainage basin.[2] The delta covers an area of about 56 thousand hectares,[2] of which 11,600 are wetland ecosystems and related habitats.[8]: 3 At one time the coast was advancing,[9] but later it retreated, mainly due to less sediment coming down the river due to dams built upstream,[10][11] such as Altınkaya and Derbent.[12]
The Black Sea coastal road runs across the south of the delta, which is in Ondokuzmayis, Bafra and Alacam districts. Bafra, with about 150,000 people, is the only town but there are more than 30 villages.[2]
The climate is temperate,[16] with hot dry summers, warm wet winters, and foggy and rainy springs.[8]: 15 Rainfall averages 719 mm a year.[17] The wind usually blows from the west and this has shaped the delta so that most of the marshland is in its the east.[18]
There are over 20 lakes,[2] which average 1.5m deep but double that in spring,[17] when their area can exceed 9,000 hectares.[2] Tatlı and Gıcı Lakes are freshwater and the rest are brackish.[8] Some of the lake water is eutrophic due to agricultural pollution.[12] There are 30 drainage channels, which drain agricultural land.[8]: 18
Marshes and reed beds
Buffalo are set free to roam in the summer.[20][8]: 30 Frogs climb on them to catch flies.[21]
Woodland
Dunes and beaches
The dunes further from the coast have more kinds of plants. And dunal hills, which are far from the coast, have bushes such as prickly juniper.[citation needed] Some sheep have caused damage in the dunes.[8]
Meadows and farmland
The land is one of the most fertile plains for agriculture in Turkey. There are more buffalo than anywhere else in the country, and they are important for the ecosystem.[8] The most important crop is rice,[2] but some say it uses too much water which is needed for nature or buffalos.[11] Vegetables are grown.[8]
There are feral horses (sometimes called jades or yılkı horses).[22]
There are over 500 species of plants.[2] There is seagrass.[8]: 23 Grass ( Paspalum paspalodes) grows when the lake water recedes in the summer and is eaten by water buffalo.[23] There is less volume of phytoplankton and fewer phytoplankton species in more saline lakes.[24]
70% of bird species in Turkey have been recorded and the delta is important for birds which directly cross the Black Sea.[26]White stork migrate to Africa and return to breed here[27] (about 950 pairs almost all nesting in trees and number increasing and some now resident[28]) and there are many other species such as: grey-headed swamphen and great white egret. There is a bird ringing station called Cernek Ringing Station.[29] At Ondokuz Mayıs University there is a bird research center,[30] which has ringed 165 thousand birds from 175 species in the delta.[31]
Lake fishers catch carp, mullet, zander and crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus).[11][33]Small numbers of sturgeon have been observed in the estuary and may still attempt to migrate upstream.[34] Invasive prussian carp are said to have disrupted some other fish.[8]: 69 Rapana venosa are invasive shellfish but are valuable to export for Far East eating.[19] They are dredged from the sea around Samsun.[35]So-iuy mullet (Planiliza haematocheila) are also sold.[19]
Resident people
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024)
Bafra is a municipality and district of Samsun Province, Turkey.[36] Covering about 1,500 km2,[37] and with over 140,000 inhabitants[38] it is a settlement located 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Black Sea, in the fertile Kızılırmak Delta. The Bafra Plain is famous in Turkey for its rich soil and high quality tobacco growing conditions. The city is well known in Turkey for its ice cream, cigarettes, tobacco and agricultural produce. The city is located 52 km northwest of Samsun and is connected by State road D.010.
Residents say that tourism benefits local employment.[39] Tourism includes walking, enjoying the landscape, photography, picnicking, cycling and watching wildlife such as birdwatching. [40] With over 50 km of beach a 2019 study said that it has great potential for sea tourism as well as ecotourism.[41] The study questioned visiting families and found most thought of: wetland, agriculture, one of the largest deltas of Turkey, Turkey's largest river, fertile lands, fertile fields. Over 70% had not heard of ramsar, over 70% thought wetlands are at risk of climate change.[3]
Management
The 2017-2023 management plan says that sub-plans will be prepared to manage water, visitors, grazing and aquaculture.[8]: 82–88 Some land is owned by individuals, some is public and some disputed. Several government departments are responsible, which can cause confusion.[8]: 9, 71 There is a buffer zone around the strictly protected area.[8] A plan for some coastal protection of Liman Lagoon was published in 2019.[42]
Some traditional practices help with the management: for example water buffalo and fishing boats help keep the connections between the lakes open.[43] In the late 2010s experts issued a management plan although they could not agree with residents what should be done;[11] as the existing management plan ran to the end of 2023 a revised plan is being discussed.[44]Doğa hope to complete a resurvey of all Key Biodiversity Areas in Turkey by the end of 2024.[45]
In the past half million years the North Anatolian Fault has pushed up the southern part of the delta, and changes in climate and sea level have alternated lagoons and lakes.[53]
Ottoman map
Strabo described the delta as producing fruit,[54] deer,[54] gazelles and soft-wooled sheep,[55] and the town of Gadilon. During the Ottoman Empire and early years of the republic malaria was widespread near the marshes and the lower lands were occupied seasonally.[11] As in some other parts of the country much of the population was forcibly exchanged between Greece and Turkey in the early 20th century.[11] Malaria hindered attempts to resettle migrants from lands lost by the empire, and during the 20th century some of the land was drained to combat mosquitos and provide agricultural land for these people and those coming from the eastern Black Sea part of Turkey.[11] Rice production was expanded.[11]
Festivals included a stork feast, spring release of water buffaloes, and sheep breeding.[43] Traditionally it is considered sinful to kill certain animals and plants always or at certain times of year.[43]
In the 1950s and 1960s woodland was felled, sometimes to make fields.[18] Drainage works were started in the 1960s.[8]
In the late 20th century the ecological value of the marshes was recognized and attempts to protect them began, although some local residents opposed restrictions on agriculture and building.[11] At the end of the 20th century they were made a Ramsar site, then nature tourism became popular.[11] In 2016 Turkey nominated it as a World Heritage Sites,[2] but the IUCN said it did not meet the criteria.[58] Some illegally built holiday homes were demolished by Samsun Council.[18] Since 2017 hunting has been banned in part of the delta.[8]
^Yavuz, Kiraz Erciyas; Yavuz, Nizamettin; Tavares, José; Barış, Y. Sancar (2012). "Nesting habits and breeding success of the White Stork, Ciconia ciconia, in the Kızılırmak delta, Turkey". Zoology in the Middle East. 57: 19–26. doi:10.1080/09397140.2012.10648959. S2CID87042198.
^Başkanlığı, İstanbul Üniversitesi Bilgi İşlem. "The importance of wet areas and an example for the evaluation of tourism (Kızılırmak delta plain)". iupress.istanbul.edu.tr. Retrieved 2024-03-06. Sulak alanların çevresinde kamping, manzara seyretmek, fotoğraf çekmek, yürüyüş yapmak, piknik yapmak, bisiklete binmek, yabani hayatı gözlemlemek amacıyla kullanılan rekreasyon alanlarının yanı sıra, konaklama ve ağırlama tesisleri de bulunmaktadır. [There are accommodation and hospitality facilities around the wetlands, as well as recreation areas for camping, viewing the landscape, taking photographs, hiking, picnicking, cycling and observing wildlife.]
^"The importance of wet areas and an example for the evaluation of tourism (Kızılırmak delta plain)". iupress.istanbul.edu.tr. Retrieved 2024-03-06. …. bu alanlar eko turizm açısından da büyük bir potansiyel taşımaktadırlar. Bafra ovası kıyıları yaklaşık 50-60 km'lik plaj uzunluğuyla deniz turizmi açısından turist beklemektedir. [… these areas have a great potential in terms of eco-tourism. The coasts of the Bafra plain are waiting for tourists in terms of sea tourism with a beach length of approximately 50-60 km.]
^Berndt, Christopher (April 2019). "A MULTI-PROXY STUDY OF THE KIZILIRMAK RIVER TERRACES AND ITS DELTA, NORTHERN TURKEY: IMPLICATIONS FOR TECTONICS, SEDIMENTATION, SEA LEVEL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES". In overall, the study shows that the impact of the North Anatolian Fault deforms the northern margin of the Central Anatolian Plateau until the Black Sea coast in the range of the central Pontide Mountains since at least 545 ka. Hence, the southern part of the Kızılırmak Delta becomes uplifted at an accelerated rate. In addition, the Kızılırmak Delta reacts rapidly on changes in Anatolian climate and Black Sea sea levels forming an alternation of lagoonal and deltaic lake environments in its eastern part since Mid-Holocene. While sea level changes predominantly modify the environments during the early Mid-Holocene, the climate changes have a much higher impact during Late Holocene. In turn, those environmental changes leading to salinity variations correlate to phenotypic changes in the morphology of the ostracod Cyprideis torosa (Jones).
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