AA Photo
Despite intense urbanization, Istanbul stands out for its forested areas. Covering approximately 44 percent of the city’s total surface area, these forests provide habitats for numerous mammal, reptile, and bird species.
The city’s extensive natural areas, particularly the Northern Forests, play an important role not only in maintaining Istanbul’s ecological balance but also in sustaining the network of natural habitats across the Marmara region.
The broad forest ecosystem offers varied habitats where wildlife can shelter, feed, and reproduce away from human sight. Camera traps record this around-the-clock activity, transforming unseen behavior into scientific data.
Camera traps installed at strategic points in Istanbul and neighboring provinces by the Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP) 1st Regional Directorate of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry provide data on wildlife feeding, movement and behavior.
Motion-sensitive systems are essential for monitoring wildlife, as they allow researchers to record animals without disturbing their natural behavior.
Istanbul’s forest ecosystem is home to mammals including roe deer, red deer, badgers, jackals, wolves, wildcats, foxes and martens, as well as various species of snakes and lizards.
Camera traps have captured the daily lives of forest wildlife, with notable recordings including a pack of wolves and red deer clashing for dominance. These images demonstrate how local species continue to thrive far from human intervention.
Istanbul is also located along major bird migration routes and is home to 397 bird species, making it an important migration corridor of global significance.
The city therefore holds international importance not only for land animals but also as a resting and feeding route for migratory birds.
Camera traps are used not only to record wildlife but also to support a wide range of conservation efforts.
Within Wildlife Development Areas, researchers monitor animal populations, feeding habits and behavior, using camera trap data to support regular inventories of target species like red and roe deer.
The footage also helps researchers understand which areas particular species use and how frequently, as well as their seasonal movements and habitat preferences. This allows conservation measures to be planned on the basis of regularly collected data rather than observation alone.
Conservation teams also use camera-trap recordings in efforts to combat illegal hunting, strengthening protection and control activities. Regular monitoring both supports measures to protect species and contributes to the sustainable management of natural habitats.
In addition to Istanbul, footage recorded in Sakarya, Kocaeli and Tekirdağ, which are also within the 1st Regional Directorate’s jurisdiction, has captured various species. The records play an important role in monitoring wildlife across the region and provide data for studies on species distribution and habitat protection.
HH Conservation efforts based on scientific plans
The DKMP 1st Regional Directorate conducts conservation activities throughout the region in line with management plans and species-specific action plans.
In Istanbul, conservation work in two designated Wildlife Development Areas aimed at protecting the integrity of natural habitats is carried out under scientifically based management and development plans.
Under these plans, habitat protection, species monitoring and efforts to ensure the sustainability of ecosystems are conducted simultaneously.
Action plans for endangered species include efforts to protect rare species such as the imperial eagle, while red deer and roe deer populations are regularly monitored through inventories. Such monitoring also contributes to the development of long-term conservation strategies.
Breeding stations established to strengthen species populations also form an important part of conservation efforts.
As part of efforts to ensure the sustainability of conservation work, educational programs are organized in schools, while awareness activities carried out with nongovernmental organizations aim to spread awareness of nature conservation among different segments of society.
Through a combination of fieldwork, scientific monitoring and public awareness programs, authorities aim to protect Istanbul’s rich wildlife, ensuring it continues to thrive alongside the city for generations to come.
