Turkey to create national parks

The Turkish government is planning to give Turkey's natural geological areas official protection, according to local news agencies.

In an effort to protect Turkey's natural heritage, the country's natural geological areas including its many karst structures, caves and canyons will be turned into so-called 'geo-parks' under the government plans.

This will mean that the structures will have official protection status, allowing measures to be taken to preserve them for future generations to experience.

Different areas will be granted the status of a 'national park', a 'natural park', a 'natural monument' or a 'natural protected monument' depending on their circumstances, Mustafa Yalinkilic, Turkey's director of nature conservation and national parks, told the Anatolia News Agency.

Caves in particular are expected to benefit from the new regulations. There are estimated to be around 50,000 caves in Turkey – 3,000 of which could be suitable for eco-tourism.

This article was brought to you by Nirvana International – Specialists in Property in Turkey