Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A freshwater lake situated west of Ýstanbul where the Karasu stream reaches the Marmara Sea. The stream was dammed to create a drinking water reservoir; during dry years less than 25% of the lake area remains flooded. Mudflats, sandbanks and reedbeds (
Phragmites) have formed where silt deposition occurs. South of the dam is a brackish lake with reed fringes and islands. The lake is largely surrounded by arable land and, increasingly, industrial and residential development. Motorways cut across both ends of the lake.
This site is important for wintering and passage waterbirds. It also supports a range of breeding waterbirds. During autumn the arable land surrounding the lake can hold thousands of migrating
Ciconia ciconia, which roost here before crossing the Boðaziçi (site 005). Species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Aythya nyroca (thought to breed).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The ecological character of the lake was drastically altered following its conversion; large areas of reed and marsh along the northern and western shores were lost. Industrial and urban developments close to the lake may cause pollution. The nearby airport and motorways cause disturbance, and the area is subject to high hunting pressure. Commercial fishing is prohibited by ÝSKÝ.
National High
International None2,850 ha of IBA covered by Drinking Water Reservoir (Büyükçekmece Gölü, 2,850 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Büyükçekmece Lake (Türkiye). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/büyükçekmece-lake-iba-türkiye on 25/12/2024.
