Ramsar Sites of Turkey - Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Annual average precipitation <strong>of</strong> the region is 544.2 cubic millimeters and average
basis is recorded to be 2 liter/second in May, 178 liter/second in June, 211 liter/second in
July, 181 liter/second in August, 176 liter/second in September and 45 liter/second in
October.
Household water needs in villages is provided by wells. The local people, however, point
out the decreasing ground water level. They say they had difficulties <strong>of</strong> finding ground
water even at 170-180 meter and that the water entering the lagoon is highly polluted
due to untreated disposal by some nearby factories. They also mentioned an increasing
salinization <strong>of</strong> water.
GEOLOGICAL ASPECTS
The heights surrounding Gediz Delta are mostly volcanic rock structures. The
stratigraphic stacks <strong>of</strong> these heights surrounding Gediz Delta and its close environment
are formed <strong>of</strong> components such as upper cretaceous flysch, sediment, volcanic,
volcanosediment units as well as Quaternary alluviums.
BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS
Habitats
The delta comprises four different habitats such as saltwater ecosystems (salines),
freshwater ecosystems (reed beds), meadows and heights. It consists <strong>of</strong> numerous
habitats such as lagoons, reed beds, salines, fresh and salt water marshes, salt
meadows, seasonally flooded meadows, alluvial islets, agriculture lands and
Mediterranean shrub lands.
Gediz Delta wetland ecosystem from north to south
and saltwater meadows <strong>of</strong> Northern Gediz Delta. Moreover, the reed beds, located in the
north and fed by freshwater, are highly important in terms <strong>of</strong> biological diversity.
Little sand banks and islets separate lagoons from the sea. The halophile swamp system
that also comprises the freshwater swamp forms the southeastern parts <strong>of</strong> the special
protection area situated between the
The area located in the north <strong>of</strong> the salines comprises meadow and pasturelands,
trap forms a freshwater swamp <strong>of</strong> 500 hectares covered with red beds;; it dries from time
to time due to freshwater shortage in the region.
WILDLIFE
Flora
Flora <strong>of</strong> the site consists <strong>of</strong> mostly annual herbaceous plants, herbaceous perennials at a
lower level as well as ligneous plants. Dominated by halophytes, the site supports 306
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