page_title: Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area
section_title: Description of the area
hierarchical_section_title: Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area / Description of the area
caption_attribution_description: English: Nile Turtle (Trionyx Triunguis) near mudbath on Dalyan river. Photo: Maria Jonker Nederlands: Nijlschildpad (Trionyx Triunguis)nabij modderbad aan Dalyanrivier. Foto: Maria Jonker
context_page_description: The Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area is a protected natural reserve in the Turkish province of Muğla. In June 1988 it was determined and declared the first protected area of its kind of Turkey. In 1990 the original SPA area was extended westwards.
  Up to now, there are fourteen natural reserves with this status, of which Pamukkale is probably the best-known. All these areas are under the supervision of the ÖÇKK, the Turkish Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas.
  The area got its special status as a result of Prince Philip´s request to the Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Özal for a moratorium on the construction of a hotel complex at İztuzu Beach, while awaiting an environmental impact assessment. At the time Prince Philip was President of the WWF, which had been approached by environmentalists such as June Haimoff, Günther Peter, David Bellamy, Lily Venizelos, Nergis Yazgan and Keith Corbett to help stop the construction of a hotel complex at the beach. İztuzu Beach was one of the main nesting areas for the endangered loggerhead turtle, and the environmentalists were trying to preserve the turtle’s habitat.
context_section_description: The area consists of various terrestrial structures around the Köyceğiz subsidence lake. 
  
  Köyceğiz Lake is one of Turkey’s largest coastal lakes, which was formed in Antiquity as a result of the formation of a long stretch of dunes (İztuzu Beach). The lake is fed by the waters of the Namnam river in the northwest and the Yuvarlakçay in the east. The latter is reported to be an otter habitat. In the north and west some mountain streams flow into the lake. 
  
  It is the biotope variety in such a relatively small area that makes the SEPA so special.  There are fresh water lakes, rivers and brooks, a vast brackish water zone in the estuary, the sea and its sandy beach. Apart from agricultural land for growing citrus fruit, sesame and cotton, there are wetlands, extensive liquidambar forests, pine forests and maquis.
  Around the lake there are numerous small wetlands with a rich bird population. Among the birds are the penduline tit, the Eurasian reed warbler, the great reed warbler and black-crowned night heron. The wetlands often border marshy Turkish sweetgum forests. The sweetgum forests are often intersected by ditches and frequently have an undergrowth of horse tail.
  The Turkish or Oriental sweetgum is an endemic species that thrives in boggy areas and is often seen in combination with plane trees. The species has traditionally been important for the extraction of its sap, which is processed to balsam storax or Turkish sweetgum oil. The sap, which is collected by carefully stripping part of the bark, is used for medical purposes and for the production of perfume. For this reason, the forests used to be of major economical importance. However, there are fewer and fewer master oil makers who can pass on their trade. 
  
  Unfortunately, the liquidambar forest area has been reduced by illegal tree felling  to create new or vaster agricultural fields. Representative sweetgum forests can still be found on the Yuvarlakçay near the village of Kavakarası, on the bank north of Sultaniye, northwest of Hamitköy, at Köyceğiz and at Tepearası. 
  At the south side of Lake Köyceğiz there is a NW-SE fault, along which several sulphurous thermal springs are located. 
  The only spa resort, at Sultaniye, was restored in the 90’s and has been a popular tourist attraction ever since. The water temperature amounts to 40 °C. Apart from the thermal spring, it also has a mud bath. There is another mud bath somewhat downriver at a former river branch. This is a location where the Nile turtle (Trionyx triunguis) can be spotted. It is a turtle with a soft shell, thence also called African softshell turtle, which is about 1 metre in size. It is a protected, thermophile species. Consequently, it is often seen near the thermal springs along the fault line. The species occurs near to the sea, in lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals, both in fresh and brackish waters. The Nile turtle is mainly aquatic and will only leave the water for short periods to rest in the sun. In the Köyceğiz-Dalyan SEPA, oviposition takes place at the brackish waterside of İztuzu Beach. The Dalyan-Köyceğiz basin is in the utmost northwest of the species’ range.
  Northeast and southeast of Köyceğiz Lake there are lowlands, whereas other parts are surrounded by hills. The highest among these are the Ölemez (937 m) in the southwest, and Bozburun Hill (556 m) in the south. The hills at the periphery of the area are mainly covered with Turkish pine trees (Pinus brutia). 
  
  The Turkish pine is endemic for the eastern Mediterranean and Turkey is the main part of its range. It usually grows at lower altitudes, from sea level to 600 metres height. The tree reaches a height of 20–35 metres, with a maximum trunk diameter of approx. 1 metre. On the river opposite Dalyan are the rock tombs of Caunos, the capital of ancient Caria. From the topmost rows of its amphitheatre and its Acropolis one has a wonderful view of the river, Alagöl (Çandır bay) and the reeds at the estuary. Apart from its cultural and historical significance, the historic city is interesting for its abundance of reptiles, birds and i
caption: Nile turtle near mud bath on the Dalyan river. Photo: Maria Jonker
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