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WHY MORE MARINE PROTECTED AREAS Marine Protected Areas are one of the most important tools for the protection
of the terrestrial and marine biodiversity in the world. Turkey is surrounded
by four different seas, the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, Aegean Sea and The
Mediterranean Sea. There are very few Marine protected ares on the Turkısh
coast and more need to be designated in order to protect this countries
unique marine ecosystems. Marine biodiversity is under threat in the Black Sea due to eutrophication mainly caused by the Danube river, ship originated pollution, over fishing and invasive exotic species. There are no marine protected areas in the Turkish Black Sea but two areas are under consideration in the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan of 1998. The two proposed areas are, however, still under heavy anthropogenic pressure. Designation of the marine protecetd areas in the Black Sea counties one of the priority due to in situ protection .It should be remember that Zernov's Phillophora beds getting smaller every day , Monk Seals loss their habitat , sturgeons already disappering , turbot stoks were depleted . Finally , Black Sea is under the great threat .To stop this advers trends MARINE PROTECTED AREAS ARE NEEDED , CONCERTED ACTION IS NEEDED IN THE BLACK SEA . The Marmara Sea is unique biological corridor for both the Mediterranean and the Black Sea 52 marine species found in the Marmara Sea are in the Red Data Book, including the M. Monk Seal, Monachus monachus. It is also an important spawning area for many pelagic migratory fish. These migratory species, especially, are under threat from overfishing, pollution and ship traffic As a result Marmara Sea , partly should be declare some particualary sensitive sea areas according to the IMO/ MEPC regulations. The Aegean Sea, is a part of the Mediterranean Sea and its most important peculiarity is its numerous islands and islets. This sea is ecologically fragile and two Marine parks have been established, The Foça Pilot Project area aims to protect the Monk seal and the Gökçeada Marine Park helps to preserve the areas rich diversity. Despite their designation as protected areas the marine parks still face a number of threats including fishing and pollution. In the Turkish part of the Mediterrean Sea, swordfish and bluefin tuna stocks are both depleted due to overfishing and because of this Turkey needs to designate some areas for the protection of highly migratory species and large migratory pelagics in the Mediterranean and Aegean high seas with the cooperation other riparian countries. This action may help to protect recruitment stocks on both the Mediterraenean and Aegean Seas migratory pelagic fish population. Without this kind of protection migration of such species from the Mediterraean Sea to the Black Sea and vice versa may not occur. The Future Turkish authorities need external expertise for the implementation of marine protected areas due to lack of experience in this field. Turkey has already signed protocol concerning specially protected areas and biological diversity in the Mediterranean Sea. But, implementation of this protocol is, so far, not sufficent. The Mediterrnaen Sea surface covers only 0.8% of the world ocean but between 8-9 % of the worlds marine species live in this enclosed sea. This means that this area is a pool of rich biodiversity for the region. Because of this, we have to allocate more marine areas for fish and other living resources in this unique ecosystem. This concept needs to be pointed out to the decision makers and politicians when decisions are made regarding the marine environment and immeadiate action needs to be taken in order to conserve this unique ecosystem.
Bayram ÖZTÜRK Faculty of Fisheries, İstanbul University.
Ordu Cad. No:200. Laleli, İstanbul-Turkey
Marine biodiversity is under threat in the Black Sea due to eutrophication mainly caused by the Danube river, ship originated pollution, over fishing and invasive exotic species. The Bucharest convention is an important international institution for the protection of the Black Sea. There are several protected forestry areas along the Turkish Black Sea coast. However, only two marine areas are planned for official designation as protected areas according to the Strategic Action Plan for the Turkish Black Sea. These are; The Prebosphoric Marine Reserve near the Istanbul Strait, which is extremly important for migratory fish, marine mammals and birds; and The Doğanyurt-Cide Marine Reserves on the western Black Sea, which is important for the Mediterranean Monk Seal and sea otters (Öztürk, 1998). The Marmara Sea is a small inland sea of Turkey. It has two important straits namely the Istanbul (Bosphorus) and Çanakkale (Dardanelles) Straits. These two straits play a vital role for the marine biodiversity of the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea due to their characteristics as biological corridors. The Marmara Sea is under threat from a heavy pollution load from the Black Sea. Moreover, ship-originated pollution is the most important source of pollution for this sea, and many bays and gulfs are affected by previous ship accidents in the Istanbul Strait. 52 marine species are in the Red Data Book, including the M. Monk Seal, Monachus monachus. The Marmara Sea is a spawning area for many pelagic migratory fish and possible evaluation for designation as a Particulary Sensitive Sea area is under discussion. The Aegean Sea, is a part of the Mediterranean Sea and its most important peculiarity is its numerous islands and islets. This sea is ecologically fragile for a number of reasons for example the isolation of the islands from one another, endemism, interaction with the Black Sea due to the large pelagic and highly migratory pelagics and the gene pool of the M. Monk Seal. This sea also contains several micro habitats for many species and some of these species have a vitally important role in maintaining the stability of the ecosystem, i.e. Posidonia meadows and stone weeds which is calcified and called trottoires in some areas (Öztürk and Öztürk, 2003). In the Aegean Sea, in 1999 Turkey established Gökçeada Marine reserve in the North Agean Sea, the goal was to preserve the region's rich habitat diversity by establishing a marine reserve. The coast of Gökçeada, which is the largest island in the Aegean part of Turkey, is very rich in terms of biodiversity. The endemic Sea grass Posidona oceanica, 34 species of sponges, 17 species of cephalopods, 144 species of fish, 8 species of cetaceans, the critically endengared M. Monk Seal and the endangered loggerhead Sea turtle, Caretta caretta have all been found in the Gökçeada region (Öztürk, 2003). Before the area was designated a marine reserve the greatest danger to marine biodiverisity in the region was from non-sustainable fishing and tourism. Illegal diving and night spearfishing was also rampant in the region, which at any rate was under intense pressure from fishing. Because the island did not have a Coast Guard boat, adequate control was not posible and fisherman in the region did not know the methods for or the necessity of biodiversity conservation. Designation of the marine reserve was not a central governmental initiative, Tudav one of the NGO's applied to the government for the conservation measures. The region between Yıldız Bay and Yelken Rock, on the northwest coasts of Gökçeada were designated a Marine reserve. The region lies along the coast and covers an area 1nm (nautical mile) long and 200 meters wide. The total area of the park is 37 hectar. This status became effective by publication in the official Gazette on Feb. 21, 1999 and all fishing activity, diving and marine traffic in the area was prohibited. The park is comprised of a core region with two buffer zones on each side. Scientific studies are being carried out in the park, a detailed sea floor map and inventory study are in progress . In the Aegean Sea, Foça was designated a specially marine protected area in 1991 to help conserve mediterranean monk seals. This area covers 3nm from the Aslan cape to the Deveboynu region. Many activities are forbidden in the area such as diving and coastal and industrial fisheries. Foça is one of the historical monk seal habitats in the Turkish part of the Aegean Sea (Öztürk and Dede 1995) and monk seal observation became more frequent in the area after it was given protection status. This area is lead by Municipality of Foça . Bozyazı region was declared a partial marine protected area in the Mediterranean
Sea due to M. Monk Seal conservation. The critically endangered M. Monk
Seals have been found in the area, specifically in two caves where 11
pups were born since 1995. All kinds of fishing and marine traffic is
forbidden within a 3nm area and this decision is followed up by local
authoriteis, central government and some NGO's in the region. Because
the area is focused on a specific species management and zone planning
does not exist for the Bozyazı. However Scientific studies continue by
the Middle East Technical University. Some education campaign also started
by NGO's for the sustainable and responsable fisheries to the local fisherman.
The Marmara Sea is unique biological corridor for both the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and migratory species especially are under threat from overfishing, pollution and ship traffic As a result there are investigations underway to declare some parts of Marmara Sea particualary sensitive sea areas. Turkish practise for the marine protected areas is not uniform in the Aegan and Mediterranean Sea. In the case of Bozyazı and Foça, the marine protected areas are focused and designated for one single species, the M. Monk Seal. The Monk Seal is considered and implementation is more practical, species orientated and strengthened in terms of infrastructure such as boats, staff, protection plan and scientific observation. Foça has global management plan but not Bozyazı anymore. Gökçeada, marine reserve is a unique case in terms of habitat and species conservation in the Aegean Sea and the management plan prepared for next five years. Zone planning is already completed, and public awareness campaigns and scientific monitoring have been carried out and continue with the help of local governement and with TUDAV support (Turkish Marine Research Foundation). A monitoring study of the standard entry data study for the hard substratum connected with Aphrodit Project continues as pilot work with the help of RAC/SPA and ICRAM in Italy. The main threat for the marine protected areas in the Turkey is fishing and pollution. In addition economic difficulties for the fishermen is the main impediment for the cooperation between conservationists and others stakeholders. In terms of the governence, Turkish authorities need external expertise for the implementation of the marine protected areas due to lack of experience in this field. Turkey has already signed protocol concerning specially protected areas and biological diversity in the Mediterranean Sea. But, implementation of this protocol is, so far, not sufficent. For various reasons, there is no EEZ and High Sea enforcing regulation in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea. This causes several management problems in the region and problems on the high-seas have become especially significant in recent years due to mismanagement of the blue fin tuna, swordfish and cetacean species. Bluefin tuna is the only species managed by a ICCAT quota system in the Mediterranean Sea. Swordfish stocks are also depleted and cetaceans become entangled in driftnets off shore even though this kind of fishing is totally fordidden in the Mediterranean Sea. In a way, there is no appropriate management tool to develop sustainable fisheries for highly migratory and large migratory pelagics in the Mediterranean Sea even though regional organizations GFCM and ICCAT, responsible for fisheries management, exist, assesment indicates a strong decline of the spawning stocks biomass since 1993 as well as an increase in fishing mortality for the Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterraenan Sea (Tudela, 2003). In the Turkish part of the Mediterrean Sea, swordfish and bluefin tuna stocks were depleted due to overfishing and because of this Turkey needs to designate some areas for the protection of highly migratory species and large migratory pelagics in the Mediterranean and Aegean high seas with the cooperation other riparian countries. This action may help to protect recruitment stocks in both the Mediterraenean and Aegean Sea migratory pelagic fish population. Without this kind of protection migration of such species from the Mediterraean Sea to the Black Sea and vice versa may not occur. The Mediterrnaen Sea surface covers only 0.8% of the world ocean but between 8-9 % of the worlds marine species is live in this enclosed sea. This means that this area is a pool of rich biodiversity for the region. Because of this, we have to allocate more marine areas for fish and other living resources in this unique ecosystem. This concept needs to be pointed out to the decision makers and politicians when decisions are made regarding the marine environment and immeadiate action needs to be taken in order to conserve this unique ecosystem. Identification of sites for pilot marine protected areas is needed and a working group also needs to be established within the Barcelona System. REFERENCES Öztürk, B., Öztürk, A. A. 2003. Environmental Promlems of the Aegean Sea. The Stockholm Declaration and Law of the Marine Environment. pages 359-366. M. H. Nordquist .J .N. Moore, S. Mahmudi. (Eds.) Kluwer law Int. Netherland. Öztürk, B., Dede, A. 1995. Present status of the Mediterranean Monk Seal, Monachus monachus (Hermann,1779) on the coasts of Foça in the Bay of İzmir (Aegean Sea). Turkish J. M. Sci., 1(2/3): 95-107. Tudela, S. 2003. Tuna farming in the Mediterranean: 'The coup de Grace' to a dwinding population. Workshop on Farming, Management and Conservation of Bluefin Tuna. p 53-66. İstanbul. TUDAV publ: 13. Turkey. Öztürk, B. 2003. Gökçeada Letters. Gökçeada Municipality Book. p. 151-156. İstanbul.
Turkish Aphrodite ProjectSupported by RAC/SPA
and ICRAM |
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