To the General Directorate for Protection of Natural Assets,

Izmir’s Gediz Delta is one of the most important habitats in the world for many bird species, notably flamingos. Being one of the fourteen internationally valuable Ramsar Sites in Turkey, Gediz Delta is also protected as a Natural Protected Area. It is a Key Biodiversity Area and one of the largest coastal wetlands in Turkey.

While seventeen cultural and two mixed sites in Turkey have been inscribed on the World Heritage List so far, there is still no natural site holding the UNESCO Natural World Heritage status. According to the report prepared by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Karataş, Asst. Prof. Erol Kesici, and the Nature Conservation Program Coordinator Itri Levent Erkol, Izmir’s Gediz Delta meets all of the four UNESCO Natural World Heritage criteria.

These criteria include the following: containing superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance; having significant physiographic features; being significant in the development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of living beings; and lastly, containing significant habitats belonging to endangered species.

In the past years, many natural sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, like the Grand Canyon in 1979 and the Amazon Rainforest in 2000. Izmir’s Gediz Delta, just like these sites, is a globally valuable, unique natural heritage. Such a valuable natural site should be sustained without any damage, and be gifted to the people of Izmir and the next generations as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.

I am requesting Izmir’s Gediz Delta to be registered as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.

With regards,

Information:
Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality
General Directorate of Nature Conservation and
National Parks