Coastal Dune Vegetation in Turkey: A Geographical Perspective

Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment MEDCOST 2015, 06-10 October, Varna, Bulgaria, E. Özhan (Editor) Coastal Dune Vegetation in Turkey: A Geographical Perspective Meral Avcı (1), Sedat Avcı (1,2) and Seda Akkurt (3) (1) İstanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey E-mail: mavci@istanbul.edu.tr (2) E-mail: sedtavci@istanbul.edu.tr (3) Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, Bilecik, Turkey Tel: +90 (228) 214 11 11, Fax: +90 (228) 214 10 17 E-mail: seda.akkurt@bilecik.edu.tr Abstract Dunes are found along all the coasts of Turkey. Coastal dunes are somewhat different habitats than their surroundings. They have certain economical values and lesser known, or unknown, ecological aspects. They are partially rich from a biodiversity s point of view as well. These unique ecosystems are also under pressure due to various anthropogenic factors, mainly from tourism. The negative impact of population on coastal dunes increases over time. Dunes are not only affected by the stress of the closest population but they are also affected by the existence of some populations relatively far away. Before the development of summer tourism, coastal dunes were protected, or not destroyed that much because dunes are restrictive in agricultural production. Today tourism is not only made up of sun, sea and sand. With current trends, dunes are used for various other purposes: accommodation like hotels, hostels, marine resorts, golf resorts, and even car races. Major coastal dunes in north of Turkey are Kızılırmak, Yeşilırmak, Sakarya delta, and coastal areas at the northern part of Istanbul. In thesouth of the country, Seyhan, Ceyhan, Göksu delta, Lara-Parakende dunes at lower course of Aksu-Köprü rivers, Patara dunes, Dalaman coastal dunes, and İztuzu dunes are present. Also, Gediz

398 MEDCOAST 15 delta and the dunes at the coast of Saroz bay are in the west. Some of the plants living in those areas are considered to be endangered species in Turkey, European or in a global scale. The use of coastal dunes is regulated by legislation regarding coastal use. This legislation is mostly related to economical aspects. However, the legislation should also include biodiversity and conservation. In this study, vegetation and land use of selected coastal dunes are evaluated and conservation issues are discussed. Introduction Coastal dunes, sediments deposited by wind along the shores, are among important habitats for plants. Vegetation on these dunes is also crucial in forming various types of dune types. Different authors show the importance of vegetation on dune morphodynamics (Hesp 2002; Keijsers et al. 2015; Xu et al. 2015). Coastal dunes are made up of silica and/or carbonate particles around 125-300 mm. They are formed by intertidal beaches that blow from sea to land (Brown and McLachlan 2006). The existence of dunes in various latitudes leads to the formation of diverse vegetation on these coastal areas (Martinez et al. 2004). In some ways, coastal dunes are similar to terrestrial ecosystems such as their fairly high degree of endemism with moderate diversity, though, their relation to the sea makes a difference (Brown and McLachlan 2006). Dune systems of temperate coastal zones are characterized by a variety of distinct plant habitats: upper beach, foredune, backdune or sand plain, deflation plain, slack, and old stabilized dune, this last defining the inner margin of the Holocene dune field (distinct plant communities are seen in these). The upper beach and foredune have plants that tolerate salt spray, strong winds, and sand burial (Wiedemann and Pickart, 2004). The foredune system, embryo dunes and foredune ridges, is called primary dune system because sand comes directly from the beach and it is shaped according to the beach it is from (form and orientation as a representative of waves). Mostly rhizomes are found in these areas (Davidson-Arnott, 2010). Coastal dunes in the shores of Turkey are located on north, west and south of the country. These dunes are rich in vegetation. Major coastal dunes in north of Turkey are Kızılırmak, Yeşilırmak, Sakarya delta, and coastal areas at the northern part of Istanbul. In the south of the country, Seyhan, Ceyhan, Göksu delta, and, Lara-Parakende dunes at lower course of Aksu-Köprü rivers, Patara dunes, Dalaman coastal dunes, and İztuzu dunes are present. Also, Gediz delta and the dunes at the coast of Saroz bay are in the west.

Avcı et al. 399 Methods The data from maps of soil source survey was used as the main resource in determining and mapping the coastal dune areas (Topraksu, 1972). The rectification and digitalization of these maps having coastal dunes has led to the basis of the map prepared. Data gathered from this map has been compared to the satellite view from imagery file of ESRI database (ESRI 2011). All these work has been done using ArcGIS 10.0 (ArcGIS 2015). Field work, various literature and satellite images have been also used to verify the current use of these dunes. Distribution of coastal dunes in Turkey and vegetation importance Coastal dunes in Turkey make up almost 12.2% (1017 km) of the total coast length (8333 km). 422 kilometers of coast was found on the north (41.5%), 390 kilometers was found on south (38.3%), 123 kilometers was found on coasts of Aegean (12.1%) and 82 kilometers of coast was found on Marmara Sea (8.1%). Among the important coastal areas in north are Yeşilırmak delta (7), Kızılırmak delta (8), Filyos dunes (14), Melenağzı-Karasu-Kefken dunes (15), Şile-Sahilköy dunes (16), Terkos- Kasatura dunes (18), and İğneada dunes (19). Some others are Saroz dunes (27), Dalaman dunes (36), İztuzu dunes (35), Patara dunes (37), Antalya-Gazipaşa dunes (40), Göksu delta (42), Seyhan delta (43), Ceyhan delta (43), and Samandağ dunes (45) (Fig. 1, Table 1). In this study 45 coastal dunes are considered. 7 of those have Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA) status (Table 1). Remaining dunes don t have any protection status. SEPA doesn t cover just coastal dunes. In the areas without formal protection status, some settlements, golf courses, holiday inns, and such types of properties are present. The coastal dune vegetation of Turkey is twofold. On foredunes, plants have rhizomes (characterized by roots from nodes), are bulbous or ephemeral (characterized by short life cycles). Some rhizome species are Cyperus capitatus, Jurinea kilaea, Leymus racemosus ssp. sabulosus, Ammophila arenaria, and Sophora jaubertii. A bulbous plant that has adapted to life in foredunes is Pancratium maritimum. Some ephemeral species are Cicendia filiformis, Isoetes spp., Juncus capitatus and J.pygmaeus (Fig. 2). Characteristics of vegetation on fixed dunes are different. Some forest and some shrub formation are observed on fixed dunes. On Mediterranean coasts, the forest formation is mostly composed of Pinus brutia and P. pinea. On Black Sea coasts, however, Quercus sp. and other deciduous species are dominant. On Mediterranean coastal fixed dunes, the shrub formation is mostly maquis species whereas on Black Sea, the dominant species are of pseudo-maquis (Fig. 3). Coastal dunes in Turkey are rich in floristic diversity (Uslu 1974; Byfield and Özhatay 1996; Düzenli et al.1996; Çakan and Zielinski 2004; Avcı 2005; Çakan et al. 2005; Karaömerlioğlu 2007; Kavgacı 2007; Byfield et al. 2010; Çakan et al. 2011; Aslan et al. 2013; Aksoy et al. 2013). 16 of those are Important Plant Area (IPA) s (Table 2) and almost 100 endemic plants are found in these areas (Ekim et al. 2000; Byfield et al. 2010). Some of the plants on coastal dunes in Turkey are considered to be endangered species in the national, European or global scale. Some global conservation

398 MEDCOAST 15 Fig. 1: Distribution of coastal dune areas in Turkey (List of coastal dune areas is on Table 1) Table 1: Coastal dune areas in Turkey No Areas names No Areas names 1 Between Ardeşen-Pazar 24 Lower Kocasu stream 2 Between Eskipazar-Of 25 North Çanakkale strait 3 Araklı surrounding 26 Meriç delta 4 Between Denizli-Eynesil 27 North Saroz * 5 Between Görele-Tirebolu-Espiye 28 Between Kumkale-Babakale 6 Gündoğdu (between Ordu-Perşembe) 29 West of Burhaniye 7 Yeşilırmak delta (between Ünye-Samsun) 30 South of Ayvalık 8 Kızılırmak delta (between 19 Mayıs-Yakakent) 31 Alaçatı-Zeytineli 9 Between Sinop-Dibekliköy 32 South of Seferihisar 10 Çatalzeytin 33 South of Kuşadası 11 Abana (Kastamonu) 34 Büyükmenderes 12 İnebolu 35 Gulf of Datça* 13 West of Cide 36 South of Dalaman plain * 14 Filyos 37 Patara * 15 Melenağzı-Karasu-Kefken 38 Gulf of Finike * 16 Şile-Sahilköy 39 Kemer surrounding 17 Kilyos-Ağaçlı 40 Between Antalya-Gazipaşa * 18 Terkos-Kasatura 41 Anamur 19 İğneada 42 Göksu delta * 20 Şarköy 43 Seyhan and Ceyhan river delta 21 Between Mürefte-Hoşköy 44 West of Dörtyol 22 West of Marmara Ereğlisi 45 Samandağ 23 Gulf of İzmit * Special Environmental Protection Area

Avcı et al. 399 Fig.2: Fore dunes on northern coasts of Turkey, Karasu coastal dunes (Photo S. Akkurt). Fig.3: Fixed coastal dunes on northern coasts of Turkey, Filyos coastal dunes (Photo M. Avcı).

400 MEDCOAST 15 Table 2: Important Plant Areas (IPA) of coastal dunes in Turkey. No Areas names Code map 1 Yeşilırmak delta (between Ünye-Samsun) 7 2 Kızılırmak delta (between 19 Mayıs-Yakakent) 8 3 Between Sinop-Dibekliköy 9 4 Melenağzı-Karasu-Kefken 15 5 Şile-Sahilköy 16 6 Kilyos-Ağaçlı 17 7 Terkos-Kasatura 18 8 Meriç delta 26 9 Kuzey Saroz 27 10 Alaçatı-Zeytineli 31 11 Büyükmenderes 34 12 South of Dalaman plain 36 13 Patara 37 14 Lara-Perakende 40 15 Göksu delta 42 16 Seyhan and Ceyhan river delta 43 concern species are as follows: Asperula littoralis, Centaurea hermannii, Centaurea pamphylica, Centaurea kilaea, Cirsium polycephalum, Iris xanthospuria, Isatis arenaria, Linum tauricum ssp. bosphori, Silene sangaria, Trifolium pachycalyx, Verbascum degenii. A quarter of 200 million people live 50 km away from the coast in Europe. In most European countries, an urban area means transport of goods and people close to the shores (Heslenfeld et al. 2004). In Turkey, population in districts along the coastal areas is below 5 million in 1940 s, but after 1970 s it exceeds 10 millions and after 2000 s it beats 20 millions. Population in districts along coastal areas is 1.2 millions in 1940 and 5 millions in 2000. According to 2010 data, population in districts along coastal areas in Turkey is 22 millions with 3 millions living around coastal dunes. The negative impact of population on coastal dunes increases over time. Dunes are not only affected by the stress of the closest population but the population relatively far away also affects them. Before the development of summer tourism, coastal dunes were protected, or not destroyed that much, because dunes are restrictive in agricultural production. Since 1970 s, the change in consumption habits leads to a differentiation in land use. The summerhouses are firstly built around the northern part of Marmara Sea. In time, those have extended towards south, leading to the development of tourism areas such as Erdek, Edremit and Ayvalık. After 1980 s, new tourism regions in Aegean and Mediterranean are formed. While Istanbul is growing, coastal dunes around Black Sea (like Karasu) are adversely affected. Today tourism is not only made up of sun, sea and sand. With current trends, dunes are used for various other purposes: accommodation like hotels, hostels, marine resorts, golf resorts, and even car races (Avcı and Avcı 2001; Avcı 2007, 2008).

Avcı et al. 399 Dominant land use of coastal areas in Turkey can be classified as follows: 1- Agricultural practices and afforestation (e.g. Terkos coastal dunes). 2- Establishment or development of settlements on or near coastal dunes (viz. Karasu dunes). 3- Tourism activities: a. Recreational activities (e.g. Patara dunes). b. Summer houses and gated communities (such as Karasu dunes, in the west of Marmara Ereğlisi). c. Tourist facilities like holiday villages, hotels, motels (e.g. Antalya- Belek). d. Golf courses and facilities (such as in Antalya-Belek). e. Car race (Baja) (such as Karasu dunes). 4- Industrial plants (like in Yeşilırmak delta). 5- Road construction (i.e. Black Sea Region coastal road). 6- Mining (e.g. Ağaçlı (İstanbul). Conclusions To conclude, more than 10% of the coasts of Turkey are coastal dunes. These areas are habitats to endemic plant species. Some other plant species in these areas are of European conservation concern while some others are of global conservation concern. However, with inappropriate land use, dunes are under threat. Most of the dunes don t have formal protection status. In these coastal dunes with endemic and endangered species formal protection status should be given. References Aksoy, N., Güneş Özkan, N., Aslan, S. and Koçer, N. (2013), Melenağzı kumul vejetasyonunun (Düzce-Sakarya) biyolojik çeşitlilik açısından irdelenmesi, Biyoçeşitlilik Sempozyumu 22-23 Mayıs 2013 Muğla-Marmaris, 217-222 (in Turkish). Aslan, S., Şahin B. and Vural, M. (2013), Kızılırmak deltasından bazı nadir türler ve önemli kayıtlar, Biyolojik Çeşitlilik Sempozyumu 22-23 Mayıs 2013 Muğla- Marmaris, 202-207 (in Turkish). ArcGIS, http://goto.arcgisonline.com/maps/world_imagery, 30.07.2015 Avcı, M. (2005), Çeşitlilik ve endemizm açısından Türkiye nin bitki örtüsü, İstanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Coğrafya Bölümü Coğrafya Dergisi, 13, 27-55 (in Turkish). Avcı, M. and Avcı, S. (2001), Limanların kıyı alanları üzerindeki etkilerine bir örnek: Filyos limanı projesi, in Özhan, E & Yüksel, Y (Ed), Türkiye nin Kıyı ve Deniz Alanları III. Ulusal Konferansı 26-29 Haziran 2001, İstanbul, 421-430 (in Turkish).

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