The island was created by removing fifty meters from both ends of the dirt road.
A dirt road that had bisected Lake Kuyucuk in Turkey’s Kars Province has been turned into an island for birds to breed safely away from livestock, foxes, and humans. Converted from a road into island in only two months, the 200 meter-long artificial island is the first of its kind in Eastern Anatolia.
“In time, we expect to have a robust waterbird colony, hopefully reminiscent of the breeding colony of Manyas Bird Paradise in western Turkey. The island and its birds will attract more nature tourists and will increase local income at Kuyucuk, Duraklı and Carcıoğlu villages around the lake,” said Dr. Çağan Şekercioğlu, Stanford University conservation ecologist and president of KuzeyDoğa Society which oversaw many of the aspects of the project.
The 200 meter-long island will provide critical habitat for nesting birds. Photo courtesy of Şekercioğlu.
The island’s creation also restored the lake to its natural state by reconnecting the southern and northern section, which the road had bisected. On May 13th the road officially became an island; four days later construction was completed. The speed and inexpensive nature of the artificial island could be a model for future conservation projects.
The island’s construction was based on ecological principles and contemporary bird island construction methodology. Its construction was overseen by Şekercioğlu, the KuzeyDoğa Society team, and wetland restoration expert Dr. Sean Anderson of California State University Channel Islands.
The lake had already been established as a protected area after a request from the Kars Directorate of Environment and Forestry and KuzeyDoğa Society to Turkey’s Wetland Commission. Conservation zones were delineated by the Wetland Commission, the KuzeyDoğa Society, and local villagers in October 2008. It was during this meeting that KuzeyDoğa Society proposed that the dirt road be turned into an island to serve breeding birds.
“We have so far recorded 206 species of birds at Kuyucuk, sometimes exceeding 40,000 individuals at once. The reedbeds that provide shelter and nesting areas for birds have been destroyed due to overgrazing at Lake Kuyucuk, which we estimate to host more than half the 465 species of birds found in Turkey,” said Şekercioğlu.
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