Ramsar Sites of Turkey - Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

<strong>of</strong> natural areas <strong>of</strong> the delta into agricultural lands has continued even after it was
designated as Nature Conservation Site.
While there was no agriculture lands, where the conservation site is located, in 1940s;;
today the agriculture lands cover 7.9 percent (1.294.5 ha) <strong>of</strong> the conservation site. The
agriculture lands within the conservation site are situated as two thin strips in both sides
<strong>of</strong> former Ceyhan riverbed around the pine forest environment in the north and in
Ceyhan river bank in the south.
The lands <strong>of</strong> the conservation is divided within the boundaries four settlement areas:
NATURAL RESOURCE USE
The users <strong>of</strong> the site are farmers and livestock producers, fishers and limited number <strong>of</strong>
campers.
Agriculture
The main means <strong>of</strong> living is agriculture. 76 percent <strong>of</strong> the local people are active in
producing vegetables and 84 percent out <strong>of</strong> this 76 percent cultivate their own lands.
age is larger when compared to those
in the other three villages.
Agriculture lands are widespread in the areas that had washed with the floods <strong>of</strong> Ceyhan
River in the past and become available for agriculture with sediment loads. These areas
are located in the west <strong>of</strong> the conservation site and stretch as thin strips in the both sides
<strong>of</strong> the former riverbed <strong>of</strong> Ceyhan. As the agriculture lands get closer to the lagoons and
the salt marshes surrounding the lagoons, agricultural fertility decreases remarkably due
to rising salt and alkali levels as well as the high ground water level.
The main problem <strong>of</strong> the agriculture is the lack <strong>of</strong> irrigation water, which is a great
necessity due to hot and dry summers. So, dry or greenhouse agriculture is widespread.
The prevailing crops are wheat, early-season watermelon, cotton, corn and vegetables on
a limited scale.
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