Turkey is a country that is rich in biodiversity. In fact, According to Biodiversity Hotspots report, out of the 34 biodiversity gene centers worldwide, East Anatolia is situated at the intersection of four biodiversity gene centers. Needless to say, the fact that Turkey being in the intersection of three continents is another reason for the richness of biodiversity. Following my ambassador report of the last month, I would like to mention the endemic species of flora that are located in Turkey and the dangers that they face. 

              Turkey's endemism rate by means of plant biodiversity is 34% which is higher than most of the European countries. There are 12,000 species of plant in Anatolia of which 3,000 is endemic to Turkey. There are actually four species of plants that were introduced to science from Eastern Anatolia such as Elymus hoffmanni (Jensen and Asay, 1996) and Salvia hedgeana (Donmez, 2001). Moving onto the endemic plants in Turkey there are three species of plants that I would like to highlight. First of which is Allium baytopiorum also known as Baytop?s onion. It is a species of onion that only grows in two provinces of Kars which is a city located in the East of Turkey. This species of plant is labeled as ?critically endangered? by ICUN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The reason for its endangerment is quite simple actually: overgrazing and hay making. In other words, in Kars where stock breeding is the main subsistence source, people are not aware of the fact that they are making their animals eat plants that are actually endangered. One might say that the reason for the happening of such occasion is mere ignorance. The second plant type is one that was recently discovered in 1987, Lathyrus belinensis. These plants can only be seen in Antalya which is in South of Turkey in the world. Thus, this plant is literally a treasure of Turkey. Although there were about 5,000 of these plants in Antalya, the numbers have decreased to 1,000 by 2010 which makes this plant critically endangered. The cause of its decline in numbers is due to the construction of a new police station at the area as well as people?s mistreatment of the species by planting them in areas that Lathyrus balinensis can not grow. Although, Aegean Agricultural Research Institute and the International Centre for Agricultural Research is working on saving these species there has been no actions done.

               Last but not least, I would like to mention Fritillaria imperials also known as "reverse tulip" or "crying tulip" in Turkey. This kind of plant does not only grow in Turkey, but also in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Therefore, reverse tulip is not necessarily an endemic species in Turkey. The reason for my mentioning of this species is the fact that reverse tulip being on the edge of going extinct in Turkey. There are about 100 of these plants left in Turkey. While this event does not pose any danger globally, it is crucial for my country. Crying tulip grows only in Erzurum, a city located in Eastern Turkey. The reason for its extinction is basically the same with Allium baytopiorum: overgrazing. The only difference is that Fritillaria imperials has been suffering with this issue for a much longer time. After their numbers growing less day by day, there was a series of bad occasions a couple of years ago and the last remaining 57 of these species were removed by foreign experts. Fortunately, they were caught while trying to smuggle the bulbs through the border. After avoiding this disaster, Ataturk University "ATA Botanic Park" has finally decided to replant and reproduce this plant.

               Consequently, there are about 221 species of plant that is in danger in Turkey today. For the purpose of solving this issue I have a couple of suggestions of my own. First of all, I believe the government should establish one or more facilities where all of these species can be planted and reproduced. After the construction of these facilities 20 seeds of each endangered species should be planted in these facilities in case of complete extinction. Afterwards, the government should focus all of its resources into raising public awareness especially among farmers about these plants in areas which they grow in order to decrease this overgrazing problem of ours. With all these actions taken, I think we can have a greener future.