Türkiye has designated the Nemrut Caldera in the eastern province of Bitlis as a national park, marking a decisive move that drove a 64 percent surge in the nation’s protected areas over just four days.
According to a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Aug. 19, the vast caldera spanning Bitlis’s Tatvan, Ahlat and Güroymak districts near Van Lake has been officially designated to safeguard its biodiversity and encourage sustainable tourism. The decision follows the declarations of the Fethiye-Kaş and North Aegean marine national parks, pushing the total number of protected zones to 1,791 across 62,403 square kilometers.
Erdoğan Özel, the founding head of the Vangölü Activists Association, thanked the president and Bitlis Governor Ahmet Karakaya, saying the new status will end the previously uncontrolled use of the remote area.
“The caldera is not only for Bitlis but an essential center for all humanity, housing the world’s second-largest and our country’s largest crater lake,” he said.
Özel noted that his association has organized festivals and treks over the years to raise public awareness about the high-altitude site, emphasizing that they will keep working to protect it.
Kenan Akın, spokesman for the Bitlis Nemrut Geopark Sports Club, said the step will drive tourism in the rugged region. Visitor Vedat Gültepe said he traveled to the province with his family after hearing the news to see the site’s natural beauty firsthand.
The Nemrut Caldera formed following the eruption and collapse of Mount Nemrut, a dormant volcano in the mountainous terrain of eastern Anatolia. Located at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters, it features deep freshwater lakes that serve as a critical habitat for regional flora and fauna.
