Fotoğraf: Mustafa Sözen
A new project is being launched in partnership with Doğa Derneği and Hatay Nature Conservation Association (Takoder) for the mountain gazelles living in Türkiye, which hosts nearly half of the world’s population. Our aim is to mitigate the threats facing the mountain gazelles, which only inhabit Hatay in our country, carry out various conservation and awareness activities, and identify alternative suitable habitats for them.
We are working together with Hatay Tabiatı Koruma Derneği (Takoder) to protect the mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella), which is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. The Hatay Wildlife Development Area, home to Türkiye’s only mountain gazelle population, has also been recognized as the İncirli Hills Key Biodiversity Area. Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sözen and Prof. Dr. Yaşar Ergün, who have led successful projects in the area for many years, several critical activities will be undertaken over the next year. The main ones include:
– Restoring shared water troughs used by domestic livestock and gazelles to prevent the transmission of diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease. Building new water troughs where needed.
– Renting a 10-acre agricultural field to conduct a chickpea planting trial to meet the nutritional needs of the gazelles.
– Covering old water cisterns used by bats to allow bats to enter and exit and to prevent gazelles from falling into them.
– Identifying alternative habitats outside Hatay that can meet the ecological needs of mountain gazelles.
– Raising awareness about mountain gazelles both locally and nationally through meetings with decision-makers, the press, experts, and the local community.
Photograph: Mustafa Sözen
There are only about 3,000 mountain gazelles left in the world.
Members of Artiodactyla, symbols of healthy ecosystems, support the dispersal and germination of seeds, and ultimately the distribution and abundance of animal species by grazing on vegetation. The global population of mountain gazelles, limited to just 3,000 individuals, is distributed across Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and Türkiye. Nearly half of the world’s population is found in our country.
In Türkiye, the mountain gazelle population consists of 1,387 individuals, confined to a narrow strip along the Türkiye-Syria border. Therefore, the conservation and growth of the mountain gazelle population is crucial not only for Türkiye but also for the species’ global survival and recovery.
After more than 20 years of biodiversity research, monitoring, awareness, and advocacy work for endangered species, we continue our efforts to mitigate threats to the mountain gazelle and increase its population, in collaboration with Hatay Tabiatı Koruma Derneği (Takoder), which has been successfully conducting conservation activities in the region for years.
The efforts are supported by the IUCN Save Our Species and Foundation Segré Conservation Action Fund, within the scope of the project “Securing the Future of the Mountain Gazelle Through Collaborative Conservation Endeavors.”
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