Conserving migratory birds of Turkey: role of the international legal framework

Abstract

Turkey has a very unique and important location for migratory birds in terms of geography. The country's 486 bird species include 416 migratory birds, and most of them are listed on an IUCN Red List. Turkey is party to three international conventions (BERN, RAMSAR, and PARIS) related to migratory birds, but it is not party to the BONN Convention or the AEWA, ACAP, and ASEAN agreements aimed at the conservation of migratory species. We tried to determine which species are protected under the conventions and agreements to which Turkey is a party or not. We used a 5-point scoring chart to rate how well Turkish legislation on migratory birds compared with the abovementioned international conventions and agreements. Turkish judiciary on this issue is also analyzed by examining whether the cases in question were in favor of or against the protected bird species.