As a result of geographical position, Hatay Province has a unique richness related mammalian diversity. Mammal fauna of Hatay has been formed by mammals radiated from Africa, from eremial region to especially Hassa and Kırıkhan area, and come through Anatolian diagonal mountain range to the high parts of Amanos Mountains. Since all these mammal species that come from such different regions find places to live in Hatay, the mammal fauna of the Province has a richer diversity from the other provinces in Turkey, and additional species have been determined by recent studies. For example, Wagner’s gerbil (Gerbillus dasyurus) and Longeared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus) have been recorded during the studies in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Additionally, Scarturus williamsi (Williams Jerboa) given in this paper is a new record for Hatay Province. Together with all these records, the number of mammal species in the province has reached to 69. Up to now, species protection action plan was prepared for 9 mammal species in Turkey by The Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs. Hatay is the only Province in Turkey that host 5 out of these 9 species. This example itself puts forward the importance of mammal diversity of the Province, and the importance of the protection of their distribution areas. In Hatay, especially in Kırıkhan, Hassa and Reyhanlı regions, the threats identified against mammals were revealed during the 3-year field studies carried out during the 2015-2017 period. The main factors that threats mammal diversity in the Province are some activities such as opening agricultural fields, industrialization, mining activities, quarries, cement
Benzer Makaleler | Yazar | # |
---|
Makale | Yazar | # |
---|