Ecological networks as a new approach for nature conservation in Turkey: A case study of İzmir Province

Establishing ecological networks for habitat conservation in the case of Çeşme–Urla Peninsula, Turkey

“…At this level, the quality and connectivity of natural habitats in the Çeşme-Urla Peninsula of Turkey have not previously been assessed. Some previous studies such as Hepcan et al (2009) have attempted similar analyses; however, a unique feature of this study is that it addresses habitat conductivity using higher resolution and a greater number of habitat and species variables. Hepcan et al (2009) introduced a species-based approach using large carnivores as variables that have potentially or actually occurred in pre-determined KBAs.…”

“…Some previous studies such as Hepcan et al (2009) have attempted similar analyses; however, a unique feature of this study is that it addresses habitat conductivity using higher resolution and a greater number of habitat and species variables. Hepcan et al (2009) introduced a species-based approach using large carnivores as variables that have potentially or actually occurred in pre-determined KBAs. Their main purpose was to identify linkages between existing KBAs to facilitate the movement of targeted species in a regional context.…”

“…More specifically, during the last decades, nature reserves in Germany, as in many countries, have shifted from a single-site protection towards ecological networks, because protecting isolated remnants of endangered habitats can be effective in preserving only a limited number of species (Haaren and Reich 2006). In Turkey, Hepcan et al (2009) emphasized the challenging nature of single-site protection and the urgency of identifying spatially connected habitats. There are various ways to develop spatially and/or functionally connected landscape and habitats.…”

“…Biodiversity in Turkey has been seriously threatened by land use changes in recent decades (Evrendilek and Doygun 2000;Eken et al 2006). The traditional nature conservation strategy and practices in Turkey are primarily based on single-site protection, such as national parks, nature reserves, specially protected areas, and natural sites, without any spatial and/or functional connectivity (Hepcan 2008;Hepcan et al 2009). Furthermore, there are many areas of high biological biodiversity that are not preserved by the existing legal nature protection system in the country (Eken et al 2004).…”

Regional Ecological Network Planning for Biodiversity Conservation: A Case Study of China’s Poyang Lake Eco-Economic Region

“…An ecological network is constituted by ecological components, including core areas, corridors and buffer zones, which provide the physical conditions necessary for ecosystems and species populations to survive in a humandominated landscape [15]. Currently, ecological networks have been developed not only in thematic planning, e.g., forest, urban green space, and wetland planning, but also in comprehensive urban, regional, and landscapescale planning [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Ecological networks are mainly constructed or evaluated by three kinds of methods: (a) suitability analyses, (b) structural indices methods, and (c) ecological process-based methods [19].…”