Conservation of the nature is one of the primary goals of all ambassadors in this platform. Also, knowing what you are protecting or needs immediate attention is also crucial. This kind of thinking is particularly true for the topic of endemic species. As I am mostly sure we all have particular species of animal and plants that are endangered or even extinct. After covering the overall environmental problems of Turkey, It is my belief that I, as an ambassador, should also inform you of the particular beauties of my country as well as the dangers they face.

Turkey is a country that has a rich biodiversity. There are many reasons why it is so rich one of which is the fact that it has lands is two different continents: Europe and Asia. Thus, species from each continents can be found in Turkey. In fact, it is estimated that there are 80,000 species of animals in Turkey (20,000 more compared to the whole number of species in Europe) which reaches the number 100,000 should you count the sub-species as well. It is also estimated that at least 4,000 of these animal species are considered to be endemic to Turkey. For instance: Kangal Shepherd Dog, Red Deer, Ankara Cat etc. Another important aspect for the fauna of Turkey is the fact that it is located in the two major bird migration routes. As such, the total number of both local and migratory bird species are 456 such as Pelican and Flamingo. This number may not seem a lot, however, if you take into account that there are only 560 species of bird in the whole continent of Europe, the number isn?t that low. Therefore, it is to be said without a doubt that Turkey?s fauna is a rich one.

Turkey also has a wide range of plant, trees etc. In other words, the country?s flora is rich as well. For instance, there are about 12,500 plant species in the entire continent of Europe whereas 11,000 of these are in Turkey and about 3,000 of these are endemic to Turkey. Istanbul alone, a city in Turkey, is home to 2,000 species of plants. Among these plant types there are: tulip, lily, tea, kiwi, olive, walnut, apricot etc. Furthermore, there are 564 species of trees in the country whereas 76 of them are endemic to Turkey. Perhaps the best example for you to understand the significance of the flora of Turkey is wheat. Wheat is one of the most important plant for everyone as it is used for making flour that is inside of much food we eat frequently such as bread. The transmission of a disease-resistant gene from a wild wheat form in Turkey to the American cultivar has meant a saving of 50 million dollars a year for the US economy alone. Such an example shows how important the plants of Turkey are not just within itself but also around the world.

Consequently, Turkey is a beautiful country with more than 100,000 species of animals and 11,000 species of plants in it. It is such a disappointment that with all these aspects taken into account we are still continuing to chop of trees, cause deforestation and destroy both our flora and the habitats of our fauna. Of course, such actions have terrible outcome. As such, I will be explaining the dangers to the beauties mentioned above in my next article with many examples.

RESOUCES

http://www.iucn.org/

http://www.goturkeytourism.com/