New science center established for Salda Lake

BURDUR

Authorities have established a science, education and nature conservation center for the southwestern city of Burdur’s renowned Salda Lake in an effort to promote scientific research and boost tourism in the region.

Recognized as one of the world's top 100 geological heritage sites, Salda Lake is famed for its turquoise waters and white shores, earning it the nickname "Maldives of Türkiye."

Salda Lake’s new center, established by Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, aims to conduct scientific research and support conservation efforts.

The center seeks to focus on biodiversity studies concerning endemic plant and animal species, while also raising public awareness about wildlife conservation.

Professor Dr. Hüseyin Dalgar, the university’s rector, emphasized that the center will significantly contribute to both the region’s promotion and tourism.

“Our science center will play a crucial role in preserving and promoting this unique natural heritage. We will welcome researchers from around the world and conduct significant studies on a global scale,” Dalgar explained.

Salda Lake is thought to be the only lake on Earth that has similar minerals and deltas to those found at the crater called Jezero on Mars, which is thought to have once been the site of a sprawling lake, according to NASA.

Within this scope, scientists began Mars studies in the lake toward the end of 2019, with a NASA delegation and team from Istanbul Technical University traveling to Salda Lake to study its shorelines and topography.

Toward the end of 2023, a U.S. team, including a Turkish scientist, reached the second phase of its work on the lake, focusing on the geological and climatic past of Mars and looking for traces left after possible life on Mars.

While conservation efforts continue to provide hope for protecting this many-sided, significant natural site, experts warn that the country’s wetlands are rapidly disappearing.

Dr. Erol Kesici, a scientific advisor to the Turkish Nature Conservation Association (TTKD), highlighted the alarming rate at which Türkiye is losing its water resources.

Türkiye is home to 135 wetlands, with 14 protected under the Ramsar Convention, holding the potential to provide a significant source of freshwater and biodiversity.

However, according to Kesici, the country has lost wetlands equivalent to twice the size of the Marmara Sea over the past 50 years, mainly due to mismanagement, land encroachment, human pressure and populism.

Several major lakes, including Seyfe, Kuyucuk, and Meke, have completely dried up. Many others, such as Manyas, Burdur and Uluabat Lakes, as well as the Göksu, Kızılırmak and Gediz deltas, are suffering from extreme water loss, pollution and declining biodiversity.

Kesici, therefore, underlined the necessity of structuring cities, industry and agriculture in accordance with water resources, as well as the significance of implementing scientific farming methods in water utilization and agriculture.