Safeguarding the mountain gazelle in Turkey: a collaborative conservation effort
Project description
The mountain gazelle population in Turkey, concentrated in Hatay represents over half of the global population. Historically, the species ranged across several regions, but their habitat has drastically diminished, now confined to a narrow strip along the Turkey-Syria border. Habitat loss, human activities like mining, and agriculture, and threats such as unsecured cisterns causing injuries or deaths, diseases, competition with domestic animals, and insufficient water and protein resources threaten their survival.
Threats
Habitat loss & degradation
Invasive alien species
Reduced genetic diversity
This project aims to improve habitat conditions by enhancing water access, creating grazing areas, securing cisterns with ecological sheets, and addressing human-wildlife conflicts. Additionally, it seeks to develop a strategic reintroduction plan, implement stray dog management strategies, and raise awareness among the public and institutions through education and advocacy. These actions will support the long-term conservation of the species both in Turkey and globally.
Project objectives
- Improve habitat conditions by enhancing water access and restoring water troughs.
- Establish grazing areas to address food scarcity.
- Secure cisterns by covering them with ecological sheets to prevent accidents.
- Develop and implement a stray dog management plan to reduce predation pressure.
- Develop and implement a strategic reintroduction plan for mountain gazelles to ensure their long-term survival.
- Raise public and institutional awareness on the importance of mountain gazelles and their habitat conservation through educational programs and advocacy.
- Advocate for improved policies to protect mountain gazelles and their habitats.
Project activities
- Develop water resources by creating three new water sources and restoring four existing troughs to ensure sustainable access to water while preventing disease transmission from livestock.
- Improve habitat safety by covering at least 10 hazardous cisterns with perforated metal sheets to prevent accidental falls while allowing small animal access.
- Manage stray dogs by collaborating with authorities to implement measures for controlling and relocating them to designated shelters.
- Plan reintroduction by developing a strategic plan for the reintroduction of mountain gazelles to new habitats to reduce extinction risk.
- Enhance food and habitat by planting legumes to improve food availability.
- Raise awareness and advocate by conducting school education programmes, launching a social media campaign, producing a short film, and engaging in lobbying efforts to influence conservation and restoration policies.
This project is implemented by Doga Dernegi (BirdLife Türkiye), Turkey
