Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A complex of coastal lakes, marshes and forests on the southern shores of the Sea of Marmara, where the Kocaçay river enters the sea. The western half of the delta comprises two lagoons, reedbeds (
Phragmites), extensive
Fraxinus,
Alnus and
Salix alluvial forest, and a wide dune strip. The eastern half is more open with one large lagoon, arable land, orchards, dunes, reedbeds and
Salicornia- and
Tamarix-covered mudflats. Human activities include cattle-grazing.
This site is important for breeding, wintering and passage waterbirds. Several species of woodpecker also breed. Breeding species of global conservation concern that do not meet IBA criteria:
Haliaeetus albicilla (one of the few confirmed Turkish sites).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Forests and other natural habitats are cleared for arable land and
Populus plantations. Yeniköy is developing as a tourist centre and further expansion eastward should be halted. Sand-dunes are destroyed to fulfil the demand for sand. Housing complexes are encroaching from the east; the recent demolition of illegally built houses indicates this is now less of a threat. The effects of urban and industrial pollution on the delta's ecology are unknown. Effective management of the wetland is constrained by disputes over land ownership.
National None
International None
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kocaçay Delta (Türkiye). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kocaçay-delta-iba-türkiye on 23/11/2024.
