MARSHES AND REEDBEDS
Reedbeds consist not only of reeds but of a broad
diversity of plants which thrive in wetland conditions. This type
of vegetation can cover large areas of shallow lakes, or just the
inshore areas of deep lakes. Examples of the former in Turkey are
the Eber, Aksehir, and Karamik lakes, and of the latter Beysehir
and Egirdir. Marshes like Sultansazligi and Eregli Sazligi also
have extensive reedbeds, and may have no open stretches of water
at all, or mazes of narrow channels known in Turkey as yolak, which
sometimes lead in the centre of the marsh to areas of water known
as ‘ayna’ generally 5-10 hectares in area.
Some wetlands, despite being shallow, may have sparse
reedbeds or none at all, such as those around lagoons on river deltas
where the water is salty, or around lakes containing soda-rich water.
The way in which high salinity levels obstruct the growth of reedbeds
is most conspicuous in lagoons.
The extent of the reedbeds indicates the level of
salt water infiltrating the water of the lagoon from the sea. The
Cernek Lagoon on the Kizilirmak Delta on the Black Sea, whose salinity
level is low, has the appearance of a freshwater lake, whereas in
contrast the Akyatan Lagoon in the Seyhan Delta on the Mediterranean
whose waters have a salinity level twice that of the Black Sea only
has reedbeds covering small areas in coves where freshwater streams
dilute the salt content of the water. Lake Van contains high levels
of bicarbonate of soda, which prevents not only the growth of reeds
but of all other freshwater plants, and on this and similar lakes
water plants are found only at the mouths of streams.
Cattails, rushes, sedges, reeds and bullrushes are
the main plants making up reedbeds, and between them, particularly
close to the shore, may be found waterlilies, laserpitium, vipr’sp-grasses,
irises, and other plants that are either aquatic or like waterlogged
habitats.
The reed itself is the most typical plant of such
areas, with its tall slender stems and long narrow leaves with a
feathery tassel. This is the plant which in English gives its name
to wind instruments containing a vibrating tongue of thin cane or
metal known as the reed. It is interesting that in Turkish the word
for reed, ‘saz’, also means musical instruments in general
and a traditional string instrument in particular.
Reeds generally range in height from 1.5 to 3 metres,
and it is possible to find reeds as tall as 4 metres at Sultan Sazligi
marshes, for example. This makes the reed Turkey’s tallest
native herbaceous plant. Reeds grow so thickly that in Turkish a
thick forest is described as being ‘as thick as a reedbed’.
Wetlands where there are reedbeds are the most productive ecosystems
in the world. Without hoeing or fertilising green plants flourish
here to an extent rare even on cultivated land. Average productivity
of a wetland is about three times that of agricultural land.
Of all living creatures it is the birds which make
fullest use of this extraordinary productivity, and they are its
invariable inhabitants. Ducks, geese, herons, greebs, waders, cormorants,
pelicans, shanks, sandpipers, reed warblers, gulls, spoonbills,
glossy ibises and terns all make their home in the wetlands.
It is not only birds which appreciate the importance
of Turkey’s lakes and wetlands, however. The Society for the
Protection of Wildlife, which works to preserve Turkey’s biological
diversity, is engaged in a major project aimed at arousing public
awareness of the wetlands and protecting them. The fact that these
wetlands lie on the world’s main bird migration routes enhances
their importance still further.
With their flat topography and thick vegetation,
it is difficult to gain an overall impression of a marsh or reed-covered
lake from the ground.
Only from nearby hills commanding a view over them
or in areas where there are channels or areas of open water can
their fascination be fully appreciated. Early in the morning and
at sunset their beauty is at its most exquisite.
Watching the subtle and diverse colours, flying
birds, and leaping fish, and listening to the sounds of bird cries,
the splashes of water creatures, and the rustle of breezes through
the reeds is a magical experience. When we remember how many marshes
and wetlands have already been lost through draining, and the vital
function they play in providing habitats for the wild animals and
plants of our planet, we realise how essential it is to preserve
those that remain to us.
* Tansu Gürpinar is a biologist and photographer
Articles
Index
|
