Acarlar Floodplain Forest ( tr, Acarlar Gölü Longozu) is a

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

forest located in

Sakarya Province Sakarya ( tr, ) is a province in Turkey, located on the coast of Black Sea. The Sakarya River creates a webbing of estuaries in the province, which is in the Marmara Region. The adjacent provinces are Kocaeli to the west, Bilecik to the south ...

, northwestern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. It is a combination of seaside, lagoon, dunes and forest.

Location and access

Situated between Karasu and Kaynarca north of Sakarya on the coast of

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

, it is Turkey's biggest and only mono-bloc

forest. Its distance to Karasu is around and to Sakarya around . Around the area, there are five villages of Karasu district and three of Kaynarca district. At a distance of from Black Sea, the floodplain forest stretches over long at a width of . The lagoon is accessible on the road İhsaniye-Denizköy. Aerial_image_of_Acarlar_floodplain_forest_2

Floodplain

The area is a typical

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

, an inundated coastal terrain formed by separation from the sea by sandy barrier. Situated on the district border of Karasu-Kaynarca, and about far from the sea, the lagoon covers extending parallel to the coast. It can be up to around deep. The land, which emerges due to dried-up floodplain during the summer months, is used by villagers for agriculture. The floodplain is bordered in the north by -high dunes at Black Sea, and in the south by low hills of height in average. Excess water over

flood stage Flood stage is the water level or stage at which the surface of a body of water has risen to a sufficient level to cause sufficient inundation of areas that are not normally covered by water, causing an inconvenience or a threat to life and property ...

flows into Okçu Creek, which joins

Sakarya River The Sakarya (Sakara River, tr, Sakarya Irmağı; gr, Σαγγάριος, translit=Sangarios; Latin: ''Sangarius'') is the third longest river in Turkey. It runs through the region known in ancient times as Phrygia. It was considered one of th ...

in distance in the east.

Background

On June 25, 1998, Acarlar Floodplain Forest was registered as a protected natural area by the Committee on Conservation of Cultural and Natural Assets in Bursa on its all coverage of . The lagoon's area decreased about 40%, , after the discharge stream Okçu Creek was widened and turned into a canal by the local authority for soil and water in 1971. To protect

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...

and

water bird A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...

s, a partial area covering was registered a

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

area in 1976 that is the only one of its sort in Sakarya Province. It was enlarged to in 2004, and its status was improved to wildlife development area. The area was designated as a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

of special importance in accordance with

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on W ...

on April 2, 2009.

Ecosystem

Acarlar Floodplain Forest is habitat for some

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

flora and fauna. The area is particularly a breeding and overwintering place for

migratory bird Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting b ...

Flora

The aquatic plant water violet ('' Hottonia palustris'') is endemic to Acarlar Floodplain. The rare plant species loddon lily or summer snowflake ('' Leucojum aestivum''), which is used for treatment of

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

, is traded by the villagers of Kaynarca. The floodplain is habitat for more than 150 tree species. It is surrounded by forests of mainly common ash (''

Fraxinus excelsior ''Fraxinus excelsior'', known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus and Albor ...

''). Widespread trees in the forest area are common alder (''

Alnus glutinosa ''Alnus glutinosa'', the common alder, black alder, European alder, European black alder, or just alder, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to most of Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. It thrives in wet locations wh ...

''), willow (''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

''), common beech (''

Fagus sylvatica ''Fagus sylvatica'', the European beech or common beech is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae. Description ''Fagus sylvatica'' is a large tree, capable of reaching heights of up to tall and trunk diameter, though more ...

'') and

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...

Fauna

Catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

, roach, carp and

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

are some freshwater species found in the lagoon. Common mammals are hare,

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender b ...

and squirrel. A total of 235 bird species were observed in the protected area, including pheasant,

Eurasian woodcock The Eurasian woodcock (''Scolopax rusticola'') is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts. Its eyes ...

wild duck The wild duck is the non-domesticated ancestor of the domestic duck. Wild duck may refer to: * Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, ...

, and as

bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...

, hawk.

Environmental threats

Waste water from the eight villages around the floodplain may flow into the lagoon. The excessive use of

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

and pesticides in agriculture around the area increases the chemical inlet. Efforts are made to clear a piece of land around for doing agriculture.

Illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corruption, corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, o ...

and

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

has to be prevented. The water flow from the lagoon to Sakarya needs to be monitored, and any hindrance has to be removed. The area experience dense visitor traffic after its opening to tourism. Motorboat tours on the lagoon has to be banned as it harm the migratory birds during their brooding period. In February 2015, the province governor of Sakarya forbid boating on the coastal sea, the lagoon and the canals by any type of watercraft including

pedalo A pedalo (British English) or paddle boat (U.S., Canadian, and Australian English) is a human-powered watercraft propelled by the action of pedals turning a paddle wheel. Description A pedalo is a human-powered watercraft propelled by the ...

. By November 2015, an

environmental disaster An environmental disaster or ecological disaster is defined as a catastrophic event regarding the natural environment that is due to human activity.Jared M. Diamond, '' Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed'', 2005 This point disti ...

occurred when one of the feeder streams to the floodplain was contaminated carrying red-colored foamed water. It was reported that fish died and the crop planted by villagers got poisoned. The local Directorate of Forest and Water Management set a

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

into service in 2016 to fight poachers by monitoring the protected area from the air.

References

{{commons category, Acarlar Longozu Landforms of Sakarya Province Forests of Turkey Lagoons of Turkey Nature reserves in Turkey Wetlands of Turkey Tourist attractions in Sakarya Province Floodplains of Europe