T-PVS(97)42: Nature Conservation in Dalyan, Turkey, during 1996-1997, follow-up report

T-PVS (97) 42

A follow-up report to the 17th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention, December 1-5/1997) concerning Nature Conservation in Dalyan/Turkey during 1996 - 1997.

Prepared by Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles - MEDASSET October 1997

Background The Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats recommended in 1991 that “Turkey consider urgent practical steps to protect the seventeen nesting beaches of marine turtles and, in particular, consider: ... ensuring that increases in tourist development at Dalyan do not lead to damage of turtle nests or the nesting beach“ (Recommendation No. 24, adopted on 11 January 1991, on the protection “of some beaches in Turkey of particular importance to marine turtles”). In addition, recommendation no. 26 (adopted on 6 December 1991) specifically addresses the preservation of the Nile Soft-shelled Turtle, Trionyx triunguis. In subsequent meetings, the Standing Committee analysed the situation in Dalyan. An up-date report of the environmental situation in September 1994 was prepared by MEDASSET and distributed as Document T-PVS-REPT (94) 1 and Document T-PVS (94) 19.

The present report is the result of repeated on-site assessments by MEDASSET in July 1996 and August 1997. The 1996 assessment was done on behalf of MEDASSET by the Biology Department of King’s College, U.K., with Roger Poland being responsible for reporting.

Situation of tourism in Dalyan Since 1986 Dalyan has undergone a rapid development: a small town in the mid1980’s with fishery and agriculture being the basis of local economy, it is now a major tourist centre. Fishery is no longer a significant economic factor: one of the fish gates has been demounted, the fishery cooperative is no longer operative and in the summer months, there is only one full-time fisherman left. Instead, tourism is booming with many new hotels, pensions, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. The character of Dalyan has shifted from a rural settlement to an international tourist centre.

In addition to the tourists staying in Dalyan, many arrive for one-day visits. Tourists from Fethiye, by coach going up and down the river by boat, and those from Marmaris, by large boats mooring 500 m from the north-western end of Dalyan beach. They are ferried to the beach and to Dalyan town by a large flotilla of boats which moor in the bay in anticipation of the arrival of the tourist boats. By 2.00 p.m., most of these tourists have visited the river attractions and descend on the western

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end of Dalyan Beach. The boats moor in the lagoon behind the beach and over 100 boats can be present at any one time. This intense activity continues until 5.00 p.m., when tourists return to their boats and coaches and larger sea-going boats for their respective resorts.

Between May and September, thousands of tourists are present in Dalyan either as day visitors, or staying overnight. We appreciate that it is rather difficult to manage thousands of tourists every day in such a way that their environmental impact is low.

Nature Conservation The Specially Protected Area (SPA) Köycegiz/Dalyan, which was declared by the Government of Turkey in 1988, has a very rich ecosystem, a high number of species and many different habitats. The fauna of the SPA includes several globally threatened species. In addition to the Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta (see below), these include the Otter Lutra lutra, and the White-tailed Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla. So far no efforts have been made to assess their status in order to develop conservation measures.

The Nile Soft-shelled Turtle, Trionyx triunguis, is also among the rare and threatened species occurring in the Dalyan Delta. The heavy boat traffic in the Dalyan River disrupts regular mating and egg-laying, but apparently no attempts have been made to find a solution. Persecution by fishermen may still occur occasionally.

Threatened species also include the White-breasted Kingfisher, Halycon smyrnensis, and the Grey Kingfisher, Ceryle rudis. Both species are insufficiently studied in the SPA Köycegiz/Dalyan. No information on population size, breeding sites, etc. is available and no measures for their protection and management have been established.

The borders of the SPA Köycegiz/Dalyan are neither publicised nor signposted.

Local people usually are not aware that they live within the borders of a protected area. Apart from the Dalyan beach, no sensitive zones (like the wetlands around Lake Köycegiz) have been declared, and no management structure developed.

Signs in Dalyan town informing visitors of the existence of the SPA and the necessary protection measures, have been removed.

Status of the Loggerhead Turtle Loggerhead Turtles, Caretta caretta, continue to nest on the beach of Dalyan-Iztuzu.

In 1987, 154 nests were counted, and 145 nests in 1988. 200–270 turtle nests were recorded annually in the period 1989 to 1993, 150 in 1996 and approximately 120 in 1997. However, some of these figures are based on surveys covering only part of the nesting period, in particular the nesting seasons 1987 and 1996.

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Under natural conditions, the number of nests on a certain beach may vary considerably from year to year. For example, the number of nests of the Loggerhead Turtle in the northern part of Cyprus varied in the period 1993–1995 between 245 and 519.

The figures from Dalyan show a large fluctuation in the number of nests per year, varying between 120 and 270. Despite the decline between the years 1991 to 1997, it cannot be denied that these figures are within the normal range of variation of the species, as population size in 1997 was almost equal to population size in 1988.

Despite the decline of the number of turtle nests between 1991 and 1997, the available data does not neccesarity prove a negative influence from tourism (or any other human activity) on Dalyan’s marine turtle population. The fluctuation of the number of nests may still be within the species’ normal range. However, the monitoring of the turtle population should be continued over the next years in order to better assess the impact of tourism on the turtle population.

The hatching success of the Loggerhead Turtle has been increasing since 1992, when systematic protection of the nests against predation (mainly by foxes) started.

However, nest protection measures were absent in 1994 and 1995, and incomplete in 1996.

In 1997 a few Loggerhead turtle nests situated in areas with extremely low survival chance for (nests close to the splash zone, nests threatened by waves and tourists), were relocated to secure sites. Although the numbers relocated is not known, they are said to be low, less than 10% of all nests.

A considerable number of Dalyan’s turtles lay their eggs in the northwestern part of the beach. This is also the area with the heaviest tourist pressure: Approximately two thirds of all tourists on the beach are concentrated there, with over 2,000 tourists each day during high season. Special attention is therefore required to avoid conflict between tourism and turtle protection on that particular beach section. As the number of available sunbeds usually far exceeds occupied ones (occupation rate often 60%), the tourist area should be further concentrated.

Nesting Beach Protection Measures The Turkish Government has implemented measures to protect marine turtles against the negative influence of tourism. These include: Visitors on the beach only in daylight. The beach is open only to daytime visitors and it is out of bounds at night, between 8.00 p.m. and 8.00 a.m. This rule is strictly enforced by local wardens employed by the Dalyan Municipality. Barriers prevent visit to the beach by boat through the Dalyan delta, or by car around Iztuzu. There are thus only the wardens themselves and a team of research students on the beach at night. Local people in Dalyan are fully aware of these restrictions and inform visitors accordingly. Although there are always some rumours that turtle-watching at night is offered for money, this could not be confirmed.

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250

200

150

100

50

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Number of Loggerhead Turtle nests in Dalyan between 1987 and 1997 (different sources).

Note that some figures are based on incomplete surveys and need careful interpretation.

Concentration of tourists. Visitors to Dalyan beach tend to concentrate at two points: around the moorings where the boats from Dalyan town arrive, and at the point where the Iztuzu road ends at the beach. Sunbed numbers vary between 250– 820 around the moorings and 130–165 at Iztuzu. Each pair of sunbeds is equipped with an umbrella which is demounted in the evening. Simple wooden kiosks, toilets, and changing cabins are available. It is estimated that 400–500 m of the 4.4 km beach is used intensively by tourists. This is roughly 10% of the entire beach length and may be seen as fair when compared with the high tourist pressure on other Turkish sandy beaches in the Aegean and Mediterranean region. Outside the intensively used beach sections, there are only a few tourists scattered over the beach, mostly people looking for quiet. Their numbers are usually low, even in the high tourist season and amount to probably less than one percent of all tourists on the beach. They stay mostly close to the water’s edge.

Restricted use of sunbeds and sun-umbrellas. The use of sunbeds and umbrellas is strictly forbidden in the zone where turtle lay their eggs, i.e. in a zone between 6 m and 25 m from the water’s edge. Tourists are allowed to walk back and forth across this non-sunbathing zone. Wardens enforce the ban. They were seen to move tourists from the turtle laying zone, as well as children who wanted to dig sandcastles there.

Although the removal of the sunbeds and umbrellas each evening would ensure that they do not negatively affect nesting turtles, it is accepted the collection of hundreds of wooden sunbeds and their return next morning is hardly feasible. As all sunbeds and umbrellas are located behind the 25m-line where turtles usually do not nest, their impact on sea turtles appears not to be significant.

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Table: Observations for Dalyan Beach, July 1996 Observation Date and time Area Number of sunbeds Occupied sunbeds Beach towels within 6 m of the water’s edge Estimated tourist population Number of sea-going boats anchored in front of the beach Number of river boats moored in lagoon Wooden building complexes Toilet blocks Other buildings Beach wardens observed Cars parked in the area

Dalyan Beach (western end) 27/7/1996 14.30–15.15

Iztuzu Beach 29/7/1996 14.30–15.00

465 m from western end (without sand-spit area) 820 in up to 4 rows approx. 60% 845 (mainly concentrated in central area) 1350–2000

95 m from eastern end

12

0

130

0 (no access to lagoon)

3 2 1 generator hut

1 1 1 warden’s hut

165 in up to 2 rows approx. 50% 60 150–250

3

2

no car access

80

Regular beach cleaning. The beach is cleaned by the wardens on a daily basis.

Research & Monitoring The Loggerhead Turtle population has been studied in detail, certainly in the years 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, and 1997, by various researchers and university groups, including 9 Eylül University (Izmir) and Hacettepe University (Ankara). However, the results are not freely available. A comparative evaluation of all results, including the assessment of trends in the number of nesting females (standards for population assessment!), false crawls, predation rate, reproduction success, annual distribution pattern of beach utilization by nesting females etc. is urgently needed.

Ekincik Beach This beach is made up of fairly coarse sand and extends for about 0.4 km. The nesting density of Loggerhead Turtles is similar to the Dalyan beach and should be considered as part of the same laying complex. No measures for turtle protection have been established on Ekincik beach. Hotels and other buildings have been constructed close to the beach, and there are no access restrictions for tourists and local people.

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Threats to the Ekincik Beach include sand extraction and the opening of turtle nests by stray dogs.

Boat Traffic In Dalyan, there are at present over 340 tourist boats, over 20 fishing boats and almost 50 registered private boats. During the tourist season, about 50% of these are operating mainly between Dalyan town and Dalyan beach. This means a considerable disturbance to the delta, by the creation of waves and noise, and pollution through the release of engine oil into the water. Although these problems have been known for a long time, no attempts to solve them were seen.

Endangered Nile Soft-shelled Turtles are suffering in particular from the heavy boat traffic which prevents them from regular basking, mating, and clutch-deposition.

Action of the waves caused by the boats, may destroy egg clutches on the banks of the Dalyan River.

Soil erosion by the heavy boat traffic is less than had been expected a few years ago. Reed beds appear little influenced by the waves caused by the boats.

Nevertheless, further influence of the heavy boat traffic on the reed beds should be carefully monitored.

Speed boats and boats with outboard engines have been banned from the Dalyan delta. However, a speed boat was observed in the Sülüngür Gölü and a stricter enforcement of the ban is required.

Water sports do exist although at a low level. At least one speed boat with a water skier was observed and photographed in 1996, using the length of the Dalyan bay a few hundred metres from the shore. Loggerhead turtles who spend the day in the sea in front of the beach may be badly disturbed and even injured by such boats.

There is a speed limit of 5 mph but it is rarely observed, and the effect of the combined wash and disturbance from such large numbers of boats is evident: The construction of nests of reed-breeding birds is prevented and Nile Soft-shelled Turtles’ nests may be washed out from the river banks.

Building Construction There are some buildings under construction at the northern edge of Dalyan town near the Dalyan River. It is essential for any conservation measures that the further development of the town (as well as of other settlements in the SPA) does not lead to an enlargement of the town’s area, in particular in ecologically sensitive zones.

Pollution of Lake Köycegiz

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Lake Köycegiz is seriously polluted mainly by agricultural chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides) from the surrounding fields, and by untreated sewage from households.

The input of freshwater from surface and sub-surface sources is decreasing continuously, as water is taken from the lake and its watershed for irrigation.

This is seen as a major threat to the ecosystem of the lake. A sewage treatment plant for the towns of Köycegiz and Dalyan has been in planning since about 1989, but has not been realised so far.

Public Awareness The conservation of the SPA Köycegiz/Dalyan can only be achieved with the help of the public. A public awareness programme is therefore needed. At the end of the 1980’s and the early 1990’s, local and international NGOs promoted public awareness for the conservation of the Delta area. An information service was operating in the centre of Dalyan. Video clips on the natural environment of Dalyan were shown over 1500 times in the summer of 1989 and an environmental working group for local schools was established.

Tourists in Dalyan desperately need more information. The majority of over 700 tourists interviewed by us in 1996, complained about the lack of environmental information. Beach wardens only speak Turkish and do not give out information (e.g. information leaflets, brochures, etc.).

Public education for nature conservation in Dalyan is non-existent. The information centre has been closed. No information sheets are distributed to tourists to inform them about the extraordinary nature of the local ecosystem and the necessary behaviour for its protection. Attempts to get information on Dalyan’s natural environment and its conservation in 1997, were without success: nothing could be offered by boat owners, pension owners, local tour operators etc.

SUMMARY Loggerhead Turtles in Dalyan were in general, well protected in 1997.Measures implemented in Dalyan, should be applied for the species’ protection on other nesting beaches of Turkey. Despite high tourist pressure with over 2,000 tourists on the beach per day during the high season, efforts have been made to ensure the survival of the species in the delta.

Little attention has been paid to the protection of other endangered species, including the White-tailed Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla, the White-breasted Kingfisher, Halycon smyrnensis, the Grey Kingfisher, Ceryle rudis, the Otter Lutra lutra, and the Nile Soft-shelled Turtle, Trionyx triunguis. Their status has not been assessed and no protection measures implemented.

The Specially Protected Area Köycegiz/Dalyan has no zonation and the borders are not marked. There are indications that the construction of buildings continues within the SPA and outside the closed settlements.

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Boat traffic in the Dalyan River and Delta is a serious threat due to disturbance and pollution.

Lake Köycegiz is seriously polluted by agrochemicals and household sewage, leading to eutrophication. Water for irrigation purposes reduces fresh water supply to the lake.

No protection measures for marine turtles have been established for Ekincik beach which is part of the same laying complex as Dalyan. Buildings are constructed close to the beach, where sand and shingle is extracted. There are no access restrictions at night, and no day-time zonation for the protection of the turtle laying zone.

The conservation of the SPA Köycegiz/Dalyan calls for the participation of all concerned, in particular local people and tourists. Efforts towards public environmental education have decreased considerably since the early 1990s.

Visitors who desperately seek information about turtles or any other aspect of natural environment are disappointed.

RECOMMENDATIONS MEDASSET recognises that the implementation of some of the following recommendations will be neither easy nor cheap. However, it is essential for the future survival of Dalyan’s ecosystem that they should be carried out. MEDASSET is ready and willing to assist the Turkish authorities in this task.

It is recommended that the Government of Turkey should: • continue its protection measures for the Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta, at Dalyan, which are in general successful. Reduce the beach area heavily used by tourists, e.g. by concentrating the sunbeds.

• consider designating 350 m of beach (approx. 280 m at the north-western end of Dalyan Beach and 70 m at Iztuzu Beach) exclusively for tourist use, and to limit tourist use in all other areas to the 5 m zone from water’s edge. This would provide a larger sun-bathing area for tourists, and the wardens would find it easier to confine tourists to the designated zones.

• enhance the role of the wardens by including the disemination of environmental information (leaflets, rules, etc.) in several languages in their regulatory function.

• continue turtle monitoring in the future using international standard methods.

• make a comparative assessment of all previous studies on Loggerhead Turtles in Dalyan in order to assess population trends and the effectiveness of protection measures.

• assess the spatial distribution of turtle nests within the Dalyan Beach with reference to the impact of tourists.

• take appropriate measures to assess the status of other threatened species, including the White-tailed Eagle, the Otter, and the Nile Soft-shelled Turtle, the White-breasted Kingfisher, the Grey Kingfisher etc. in order to take necessary protection measures.

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• limit boat traffic on Dalyan River and Delta, which poses a serious threat to the ecosystem causing disturbance and pollution.

• enforce the ban of speed boats and water-skiing in Dalyan Bay, as well as the 5mph river speed limit • highlight the borders of the Specially Protected Area (SPA) by erecting signs and designate sensitive zones for restricted human use.

• stop the construction of buildings outside the settlements, especially close to the shores of Lake Köycegiz, the Dalyan River banks and along the entire shoreline.

• take steps to minimise the pollution of Lake Köycegiz with agrochemicals (fertilizers, pesticides etc.) and other pollutants.

• ensure that the flow of freshwater into Lake Köycegiz is not further reduced.

• implement a proper public awareness programme to actively involve all concerned (local people, tourists, etc.) in the conservation efforts, including informing tourists in Dalyan about conservation measures.

• prepare an assessment of conservation requirements for the Ekincik beach.

• fully implement recommendation no. 26 of the Standing Committee (adopted on 6 December 1991) on the protection of the Nile Soft-Shelled Turtle, Trionyx triunguis.

(page 10: Map of Dalyan Beach and River Delta)

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