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National Parks
 The
first national park in Turkey was established in 1958. Since
then their numbers have increased to twenty-one. Some of
these parks, which were initially established for archeological
and historical purposes are at the same time rich habitats
where biological diversity is being protected. The Olympos-Bey
Mountains National Park in the province of Antalya in the
Mediterranean region, for example, contains a wealth of
flora and fauna, which are either endemic or relic distributions,
in addition to important archeological ruins. The Köprülü
Canyon National Park in the same province is the home of
Cupressus sempervirens forests. Natural forests of this
tree no longer occur elsewhere in the world. In addition
to its archeological and geological treasures, this park
also contains a large number of endemic plants and rare
animal species.
The regional distribution of national parks in Turkey is
as follows: Mediterranean - 6, Central Anatolia - 5, Marmara
- 3, Balck Sea - 3, Aegean - 2, Eastern Anatolia - 2. Their
surface areas vary between 65 hectares (Kuscenneti National
Park) and 69 800 hectares (Olympos + Bey reached 400 000
hectares.
 Although
the majority of the national parks are found in forest lands,
there are also a number which are established in areas where
steppe-type vegetation predominates.
Examples are Munzur Valley (eastern Anatolia), Baskomutan,
Göreme, Bogazköy-Alacahöyük (all in
Central Anatolia), and Nemrut Mountain (Eastern Anatolia-Adiyaman).
 Among
the national parks, the famed Kuscenneti National Park is
characterized by a particularly significant ecological structure.
The Kuscenneti National Park is one of the many prime quality
wetlands in Turkey and is located in the southern zone of
the Marmara region. This area was established as a national
park in 1959, was awarded "European Diploma" in
1976 by the Council of Europe, and Diploma was renewed in
1981, 1985 and 1991.
Activities
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