Turkey

Turkey bridges Southern Europe and Asia, lying between the Black Sea in the north and the Mediterranean Sea in the south. The sources of the Euphrates and Tigres Rivers are located in Turkey. Many mountain ranges rise from the country’s coasts and a central plateau. Most of the country is used for human activities, in its majority by rainfed agriculture. Turkey has high biodiversity rarity of terrestrial land vertebrates at a global scale. When analysed as single taxons, the rarity of amphibians, mammals and reptiles is also high. The rarity of marine fish and mammals is also high. Challenges to biodiversity include water pollution; air pollution,; deforestation; and risk of oil spills.