Master plan ready for protection of iconic lake in Turkey’s south

BURDUR

A master plan has been prepared within the scope of a project aimed at protecting Lake Salda in the southern province of Burdur, which was declared a Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA), Turkey’s Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum has said.

Kurum noted that no construction was allowed around the lake, and on the contrary, the densities and population projections in the plans previously approved by the district municipality have been reduced by 30 percent.

The master plan aims to protect the water resources that feed the lake, forests, pastures and agricultural lands in the region.

Faced with the threat of pollution due to the number of visitors and irregular structures, negative effects on the lake caused by human activity are being eliminated one by one, according to the master plan.

“With the SEPA declaration, some of the grievances experienced by our citizens in the surrounding villages where all kinds of activities are controlled were eliminated. Rural ecotourism activities are aimed to be directed to villages and for rural development,” Kurum noted.

“Cycling and walking routes that will highlight the beauty of the region are outlined within the framework of the plan. The activities of the mines in the region will also be terminated,” he added.

Also known as “Turkey’s Maldives,” the lake in Burdur province has been a popular destination for tourists in recent years with its white beach and clear water.

Salda is the only known lake on Earth that contains the carbonates and depositional features (deltas) similar to those found at Jezero Crater on Mars.