Ramsar Sites of Turkey - Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
Management <strong>of</strong> Sultan Marshes is under competency <strong>of</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> Environment and
Forestry Directorate General <strong>of</strong> Nature Conservation and Natural Parks, and Kayseri
Provincial Directorate <strong>of</strong> Environment and Forestry. Nature Conservation and Natural
Parks Engineering <strong>of</strong>fice is the executive authority for the implementation <strong>of</strong>
management works in the site.
HYDROLOGICAL ASPECTS
Sultan Marshes is situated in the centre <strong>of</strong> a 319.000-hectare closed catchment basin.
Precipitation, streams flowing downwards the slopes to the plain as well as waters
dribbling underground in the heights and surfacing in the slopes around the plain by
forming springs are the factors determining the hydrological structure <strong>of</strong> the site. Erciyes
the two important springs <strong>of</strong> the site. ovide additional
inflow outside <strong>of</strong> the agricultural irrigation season.
Wetland ecosystem in Sultan Marshes has preserved its natural structure since there had
been no human interruption until 1960s.
Marshes that receives abundant inflows in winters and the freshwater lakes.
Marshes reach maximum saturation, water flows into Lake Yay. Whereas in the north
(Kuzey) Marshes, then spreading from the Marshes reaching Lake Yay.
Lake Yay is located at the lowest altitude <strong>of</strong> Develi Plain. A shallow lake with a maximum
depth <strong>of</strong> 1.5m, Lake Yay dries totally in some years. To sustain its lowest level <strong>of</strong>
1070.2m the minimum annual water inflow amount is 20 million m3 for Lake Yay and 10
million m3 m3.
In 1960s, when the importance <strong>of</strong> swamp and wetland ecosystems was a scarce
knowledge, a Develi Merhale Project by the State Waterworks D
draining the whole basin to transform it into agriculture lands. At the beginning <strong>of</strong> 1970s
irrigation purposes, three dams were constructed and most <strong>of</strong> the water resources inside
the basin were begun to be used for irrigation. When additional drainage canals were also
opened, the ground water level <strong>of</strong> the basin has remarkably decreased and the
degenerated water cycle resulted in a great sum <strong>of</strong> degradation <strong>of</strong> the wetland ecosystem
in Sultan Marshes.
GEOLOGICAL ASPECTS
Alluvial soils cover a great portion <strong>of</strong> Develi Plain. Other large soil groups existing in
Sultan Marshes are organic, hydromorphic alluvial, brown and brown acidic soils. While
heavy clay soil prevails Lake Yay and its environment, volcanic tuffs surround
There are formations <strong>of</strong> Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Senozoic in Dereli Plain and immediates.
In the past 5000 years as the ground depression <strong>of</strong> Develi-Kayseri Plains sinked, the
oldest volcanic ground <strong>of</strong> Erciyes Mountain that had been formed in the middle <strong>of</strong> two
9