Country/territory: Türkiye
IBA criteria met: A3, B2 (2004)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 585,044 hectares (5,850.44 km2)
Doga Dernegi
| IBA conservation status |
| Year of assessment (most recent) |
State (condition) |
Pressure (threat) |
Response (action) |
| 2016 |
very poor |
very high |
low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here |
Site summary
The Munzur (Mercan) Dağları (Mountains) IPA comprises the vast mountain block, extending for approximately 130 km., and bounded to the west and north by the Karasu (the upper reaches of the Fırat Nehri).
The major vegetation types within the KBA are forest, steppe, rock and chasmophyte communities and hygrophilous vegetation. Relict forest vegetation occurs widely within the site, and includes a wide diversity of forest types. The steep rocky areas of this region contains unique plant groups. Lower altitudes include a layer of Quercus sp. forests. The humid valleys contain gallery forests with Acer sp., Juglans sp. and Betula sp. The best example is the Munzur Stream Valley. Another richness of the area is the Pinus sylvestris groups located close to the Ovacık district. Mountain steppe flora is dominant in the wide areas outside the forests. These areas are very important in terms of rare endemic plants
Construction of the Keban Dam flooded the steep sided canyon of the Kemaliye Karasu (the upper reaches of the Fırat Nehri/Euphrates river) and has resulted in the extinction of three species, namely Astragalus pseudocylindraceus, Barbarea auriculata var. auriculata and Onosma discedens. The construction of 8 dam lakes is at the planning stage, and includes the Konaktepe I and II Hydroelectric Schemes, together with hydroelectric power stations within the Munzur and Pülümür brooks. The site is listed as one of IBAs in Danger in Turkey in 2016.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Munzur Mountains (Türkiye). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/munzur-mountains-iba-türkiye on 23/12/2024.
