Küre Wilderness Brief

European Wilderness Network KĂźre Wilderness

2018 Š European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org

European Wilderness Network

Küre Wilderness, Turkey

Map scale 1 : 880 000 © European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org

2012 Old-growth mixed forest, deep canyons, gorges, caves, canyons, waterfalls. Rare species include bear, wolf, and Egyptian vulture approx. 10 000 approx. 5 000

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Wilderness Protected area

26 162 ha

EU

Number of visitors per year to the protected area Number of visitors per year to the Wilderness

37 750 ha

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L DE R N E

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PLATINUM

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Wilderness Uniqueness

Küre Mountains National Park Küre Wilderness Turkey

ALIT Y QU

The 26 162 ha Küre Wilderness was audited in 2012 and meets the Platinum Wilderness Quality Standard. The European Wilderness Quality Standard Renewal-Audit is scheduled for 2022.

Protected area Wilderness Country Size of the protected area Size of the Wilderness European Wilderness Quality Standard Audit

ET

European Wilderness Quality Standard Audit System

Wilderness information

E U ROP E A

The 26 162 ha Küre Wilderness is embedded in the Küre Mountains National Park, located in northern Turkey. The park stretches over the mountain range of Küre Mountains and extends over the Kastamonu and Bartin Province. The Küre Wilderness is well-known in Turkey because of its intact forests, wildlife, endemic plant species, caves, canyons, and waterfalls. The Küre Wilderness is also globally important for nature conservation.

It is one of the nine forest hot spots in Turkey with its natural values, Wilderness, geological features, landscape and cultural values.

O WILDERNESS S

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Küre Wilderness / Turkey

Biodiversity The forest ecosystem of Küre Wilderness, located on karst bedrock, is dominated by coniferous and deciduous trees. In small openings in the forest, the herbaceous and bushy plants are dominant. The combination of different ecological factors resulted in various types of ecosystems. The biological importance of Küre Mountains National Park is bound to the fact that it offers different habitats for different animals. It is home to 48 of the 160 mammal species that live in Turkey, including the wildcat, otter, brown bear and deer. As for birds, 129 different species have been documented. Among these is the Egyptian vulture, a globally endangered species. High cliffs with wide and deep valleys provide a habitat for vultures, falcons, eagles and night raptorial birds. However, the area is also important for waterfowls that breed and spend the night by the nearby seashore, and for temperate zone forest species.

Wilderness Tourism Experience The Küre Mountains National Park is Turkey’s well-known eco-tourism centre and it offers excellent Wilderness experiences, such as canyon crossing, observing waterfalls or visiting caves.

Exploring the amazing canyon system of the Küre Wilderness is one of the best adventures for everyone who visits this Turkish Wilderness. Observing magnificent waterfalls also belongs to the visitors’ favourite activities. The most well-known of these is Ilica Waterfall, located near Ilica village. In the secluded thick forests of Kurucasile visitors can also find the Gölderesi Waterfall, and in the Bartin region the scenic Ulukaya Waterfall.

Contact Küre Wilderness Küre National Park Bartın 1.Ring Road Avenue Bartın Governor‘s Office 3. Floor, Kemerköprü, Bartın, Turkey Phone: +90 378 227 18 44 Website: www.kdmp.gov.tr

© European Wilderness Society www.wilderness-society.org

European Wilderness Society

Founded on more than 20 years of Wilderness work by our members, the European Wilderness Society is the only Pan-European, Wilderness and environmental advocacy non-profit, non-government organisation.

It has a dedicated multi-cultural and experienced team of Wilderness and wildlife specialists, nature conservationists, researchers and scientists, tourism experts, marketing and business professionals, legal advisors and Wilderness advocates, whose mission is to: XX XX XX XX

identify designate steward promote

Europe’s last Wilderness, WILDCoasts, WILDForests, WILDIslands and WILDRivers. Here non-human intervention leads to open-ended, dynamic processes.

This is conveyed through a range of projects that facilitate Wilderness knowledge exchange, including education, culture and science, from local community through to scientific and governmental level.

European Wilderness Network

The European Wilderness Network connects Europe’s wildest places. Certified by the European Wilderness Quality and Audit System, these unique areas host diverse wild ecosystems governed by dynamic open-ended processes, with no or minimum human-intervention.

The Network includes, for example, Europe’s last primeval beech forests, the arctic tundra, and mountain landscapes in different climate conditions. It aims to promote Europe’s last Wilderness, WILDCoasts, WILDForests, WILDIslands and WILDRivers, with a comprehensive marketing strategy. The European Wilderness Network offers a platform to share Wilderness Stewardship best-practice examples and Wilderness research. It connects like-minded Wilderness managers and advocates and fosters the exchange of ideas and knowledge across Europe and the world through the European Wilderness Exchange Programme.

For more information please see http://european-wilderness.network

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www.wilderness-society.org