İzmir Kuş Cenneti

About İzmir Kuş Cenneti

İzmir Kuş Cenneti (İzmir Bird Paradise) is a protected wetland of about 8,000 hectares inside the Çamaltı saltworks in Çiğli, where the Gediz River meets İzmir Bay. Few major cities have anything like it on their doorstep: it is just 10 km from Çiğli and 26 km from Karşıyaka, yet it is one of Turkey's most important wetlands, lying on a bird migration route used by around 50,000 birds a year. What lives here Official counts record 205 bird species and 314 plant species, alongside many mammals, fish and reptiles. Look for greater flamingos, the globally threatened Dalmatian pelican, grey and black storks, and kingfishers. The delta's mix of lagoons, reed beds, dunes, salt meadows and seasonally flooded grassland supports fresh, salt and brackish-water life. Worth knowing - The Gediz Delta was added to the Ramsar Convention list of internationally important wetlands on 15 April 1998, with an area of 14,900 hectares. - To help flamingos nest undisturbed, partners including the Ministry, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and Ege University began building an artificial breeding island in January 2012; at 6,460 square metres it is described as the largest flamingo island in the world. - The white-throated kingfisher's scientific name, Halcyon smyrnensis, honours İzmir (Smyrna): a specimen collected in 1720 by the English consul W. Sherard was described by Linnaeus, making it the first bird from Turkey to enter the scientific literature. - The Çamaltı saltworks inside the site produce up to 600,000 tonnes of salt a year, a large share of Turkey's supply. The area is also an archaeological protected site. Visiting There is a visitor centre, birdwatching towers, binoculars and bicycles for touring. The provincial culture directorate says the site can be visited at any time of day until dark. For individual or group visits, the conservation union directs visitors to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's 4th Regional Directorate, İzmir branch.