# Kızılırmak Delta

The Kızılırmak Delta is the delta of the Kızılırmak River where it flows into the Black Sea, 40 km east of the city of Samsun. The delta is the third largest in Turkey and has the biggest wetland in Turkey's Black Sea Region, with many lagoons. The wetland is a key biodiversity area and one of several internationally important Ramsar sites in Turkey because of its rich bird and plant life. There is a bird reserve which is important for migration.
The land is very fertile and more than half is farmed, with all of the first and second delta plains and most of the third dominated by agriculture. There is a management plan to 2034, but as of March 2025 it is not publicly available.
The ecology of the delta faces some threats. As water is pumped off fields seawater is intruding, making part of the delta saltier. Also as sediment is caught in upstream dams the coastline is receding, and this is forecast to continue, and sea level may rise because of climate change in Turkey.

## History

In the past half million years the North Anatolian Fault has pushed up the southern part of the delta, and changes in climate and sea level have alternated lagoons and lakes.
Strabo described the delta as producing fruit, deer, gazelles and soft-wooled sheep, and the town of Gadilon. During the Ottoman Empire and early years of the republic malaria was widespread near the marshes and the lower lands were occupied seasonally. As in some other parts of the country much of the population was forcibly exchanged between Greece and Turkey in the early 20th century. Malaria hindered attempts to resettle migrants from lands lost by the empire, and during the 20th century some of the land was drained to combat mosquitos and provide agricultural land for these people and those coming from the eastern Black Sea part of Turkey. Rice production was expanded.
Tobacco was a major crop on the higher lands and there is a tobacco museum in Bafra. Medicinal leeches were collected. There was reed cutting.
Festivals included a stork feast, spring release of water buffaloes, and sheep breeding. Traditionally it is considered sinful to kill certain animals and plants always or at certain times of year.
In the 1950s and 1960s woodland was felled, sometimes to make fields. Drainage works were started in the 1960s.
In the late 20th century the ecological value of the marshes was recognized and attempts to protect them began, although some local residents opposed restrictions on agriculture and building. At the end of the 20th century they were made a Ramsar site, then nature tourism became popular. In 2016 Turkey nominated it as a World Heritage Sites, but the IUCN said it did not meet the criteria. Some illegally built holiday homes were demolished by Samsun Council. Since 2017 hunting has been banned in part of the delta.
The river was straightened.

## Geography

The Kızılırmak is the longest river entirely within Turkey, and has the second largest drainage basin. The delta covers an area of about 56 thousand hectares, of which 11,600 are wetland ecosystems and related habitats.$^{:3}$ At one time the coast was advancing, but later it retreated, mainly due to less sediment coming down the river due to dams built upstream, such as Altınkaya and Derbent. The largest portion of the plain is used for agriculture, followed by hazelnut and artificial areas.
The Black Sea coastal road runs across the south of the delta, which is in Ondokuzmayis, Bafra and Alacam districts. Bafra, with about 150,000 people, is the only town but there are more than 30 villages.
A canyon cut into the previous delta platform during the Last Glacial Period has filled, and the delta is now a quaternary plain. Most soil is hydromorphic, most soil is alluvium, the soil is Cambisol or Kastanozem, and there are dunes on the coast.$^{:14}$ Groundwater flows freely through alluvium aquifer N NE and NW: water in the western part is unsuitable for drinking because there is too much Ca2+ due both natural processes and manmade such as too much fertiliser. From 2010 to 2020 water surface and artificial area increased and arable decreased.
The climate is temperate, with hot dry summers, warm wet winters, and foggy and rainy springs.$^{:15}$ Rainfall averages 719 mm a year. The wind usually blows from the west and this has shaped the delta so that most of the marshland is in its the east.

## Ecosystems

In the delta are many wetland ecosystems: bottomland hardwood forest, freshwater and brackish lakes, reed beds and sand dunes. There is also broadleaved woodland and farmland. The delta is an Important Bird Area, Important Plant Area and Key Biodiversity Area. European Nature Information System habitats are Constant Coastal Dunes with Grass, Coastal Dune Bushes, Permanent Mesotrophic Lakes and Ponds, Wide Reed Beds, Juncus Marshes, Humid or Wet Eutrophic and Mesotrophic Meadows, Flooded Forests, Thermophilic Deciduous Forests, and Mixed Market Gardens and Agricultural Sites.$^{:32}$ Aquatic invasive species include the fish Carassius gibelio, Gambusia holbrooki, Gambusia affinis, Pseudorasbora parva, and the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi.

### Lakes, ponds and channels

There are over 20 lakes, which average 1.5m deep but double that in spring, when their area can exceed 9,000 hectares. Tatlı and Gıcı Lakes are freshwater and the rest are brackish. Some of the lake water is eutrophic due to agricultural pollution. There are 30 drainage channels, which drain agricultural land.$^{:18}$

### Marshes and reed beds

There are 12 thousand buffalo. Buffalo are set free to roam in the summer.$^{:30}$ Frogs climb on them to catch flies. They are branded.

### Dunes and beaches

The dunes further from the coast have more kinds of plants. And dunal hills, which are far from the coast, have bushes such as prickly juniper. Some sheep have caused damage in the dunes.

### Meadows and farmland

The land is one of the most fertile plains for agriculture in Turkey. There are more buffalo than anywhere else in the country, and they are important for the ecosystem. The most important crop is rice, but some say it uses too much water which is needed for nature or buffalos. Vegetables are grown.
There are feral horses (sometimes called jades or yılkı horses).

### Plants

There are over 500 species of plants. There is seagrass.$^{:23}$ Grass ( Paspalum paspalodes) grows when the lake water recedes in the summer and is eaten by water buffalo. There is less volume of phytoplankton and fewer phytoplankton species in more saline lakes.

### Animals

There are 15 species of freshwater snails.

#### Birds

Three-quarters of bird species in Turkey have been recorded and the delta is important for birds which directly cross the Black Sea. White stork migrate to Africa and return to breed here (about 950 pairs almost all nesting in trees and number increasing and some now resident) and there are many other species such as: grey-headed swamphen and great white egret. There is a bird ringing station called Cernek Ringing Station. At Ondokuz Mayıs University there is a bird research center, which has ringed 165 thousand birds from 175 species in the delta. There are two bird watching towers.

#### Reptiles

Reptile species found in the delta are Greek tortoise, European pond turtle, Darevskia saxicola lizard, European green lizard, Balkan green lizard, slow worm, European cat snake, Caspian whipsnake, grass snake, dice snake, and horned viper.

#### Amphibians

Of the nine species of amphibians found in the delta, two species are salamanders and seven species are frogs. The main species in the area are the southern banded newt (Triturus vittatus), southern crested newt (Triturus karaelinii), common toad (Bufo bufo), European green toad (Bufo viridis), European tree frog (Hyla arborea), eastern spadefoot toad (Pelobates syriacus), agile frog (Rana dalmatina), and Uludağ frog (Rana macrocnemis).

#### Fish and shellfish

Lake fishers catch carp, mullet, zander and crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus).Small numbers of sturgeon have been observed in the estuary and may still attempt to migrate upstream. Invasive prussian carp are said to have disrupted some other fish.$^{:69}$ Rapana venosa are invasive shellfish but are valuable to export for Far East eating. They are dredged from the sea around Samsun. So-iuy mullet (Planiliza haematocheila) are also sold.

## Resident people

Yörüks settled, and there is a village called Yörükler [tr].

## Tourism

About 100 thousand people visit each year. Residents say that tourism benefits local employment. Tourism includes walking, enjoying the landscape, photography, picnicking, cycling and watching wildlife such as birdwatching. With over 50 km of beach a 2019 study said that it has great potential for sea tourism as well as ecotourism. The study questioned visiting families and found most thought of: wetland, agriculture, one of the largest deltas of Turkey, Turkey's largest river, fertile lands, fertile fields. Over 70% had not heard of ramsar, over 70% thought wetlands are at risk of climate change. Botanical tourism has been suggested.

## Management

The management plan to 2034 (titled “Kızılırmak Deltası Revize Sulak Alan Yönetim Planı (2025-2034)”) was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in December 2024, but as of March 2025 it is not publicly available. The 2017-2023 management plan says that sub-plans will be prepared to manage water, visitors, grazing and aquaculture.$^{:82–88}$Some land is owned by individuals, some is public and some disputed. Several government departments are responsible, which can cause confusion.$^{:9,71}$ There is a buffer zone around the strictly protected area. A plan for some coastal protection of Liman Lagoon was published in 2019.
Some traditional practices help with the management: for example water buffalo and fishing boats help keep the connections between the lakes open. In the late 2010s experts issued a management plan although they could not agree with residents what should be done; as the existing management plan ran to the end of 2023 a revised plan is being discussed. Doğa is resurveying all Key Biodiversity Areas in Turkey.
There is a strategic environmental assessment drought plan for the river basin. The EU is funding a “coastal city living lab”, and ecosystem based adaptations which might be considered include floodplain enlargement and dune and seagrass meadow restoration. There is support for young farmers.

### Threats

A 2020 study found both sewage and agricultural pollution in the channels. Gendarmes are stationed to prevent illegal hunting. Pumping of groundwater causes seawater intrusion, and in 2021 academics called for such pumping to be stopped. Climate change in Turkey has changed bird migrations. From 1984–2022 coastal retreat averaged 7 meters a year, and as of 2023 this is expected to continue. There are sometimes wildfires. Although prohibited in the Ramsar site sand extraction along the river has damaged the delta: construction of spurs has only halted coastal erosion in some places. Calcium and magnesium WHO limits are exceeded in groundwater.