Lake fire destroys wildlife habitats
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Daily News with wires
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 09, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Mogan Lake, near the Gölbaşı district in Ankara, was the site of a reed-bed fire last night that was quickly brought under control by the capital city fire department and extinguished before morning.
The fire destroyed approximately 4,000 square meters of reed bed and damaged lake fauna. Officials said that fire-fighting efforts were made more difficult because the fire began among the reeds far from shore and was blowninto the reed beds.
The surrounding area is designated as a protected wetland due to low-incline rivers that feed into Mogan Lake and adjacent Eymir Lake. But the lake’s 25-kilometer shoreline is home to many restaurants and picnic spaces, with the fire starting near one of these establishments.
"This is not just a reed-bed fire," said İsa Ömercan, the president of the Gölbaşı Province Preservation, Conservation, Development and Tourism Association. "This is the degradation of the lake that gives our district its distinction. It is the destruction of the living organisms that live in the reeds and the destabilization of the ecological equilibrium." Ömercan added that he believed the fire, the first of the year, to be an act of arson.
The wetlands surrounding the lake are home to 227 species of birds, 40 of which use the area for mating. Endangered bird species found in the area include Ardeola ralloides, Ixobrychus minutus, Oxyura leucocephala, and Falco naumanni.
Good fishing
Mogan Lake is also known for its abundant carp stocks and area residents frequently fish there.
This is not the first fire near Mogan Lake. In 2004, the area was the site of a large reed-bed fire that destroyed a full acre of wildlife habitat and reed beds before it could be controlled.
The cause of last night’s fire has not been determined. The police have begun an investigation and officials are not ruling out the possibility of arson.
The surrounding area is designated as a protected wetland due to low-incline rivers that feed into Mogan Lake and adjacent Eymir Lake. But the lake’s 25-kilometer shoreline is home to many restaurants and picnic spaces, with the fire starting near one of these establishments.
"This is not just a reed-bed fire," said İsa Ömercan, the president of the Gölbaşı Province Preservation, Conservation, Development and Tourism Association. "This is the degradation of the lake that gives our district its distinction. It is the destruction of the living organisms that live in the reeds and the destabilization of the ecological equilibrium." Ömercan added that he believed the fire, the first of the year, to be an act of arson.
The wetlands surrounding the lake are home to 227 species of birds, 40 of which use the area for mating. Endangered bird species found in the area include Ardeola ralloides, Ixobrychus minutus, Oxyura leucocephala, and Falco naumanni.
Good fishing
Mogan Lake is also known for its abundant carp stocks and area residents frequently fish there.
This is not the first fire near Mogan Lake. In 2004, the area was the site of a large reed-bed fire that destroyed a full acre of wildlife habitat and reed beds before it could be controlled.
The cause of last night’s fire has not been determined. The police have begun an investigation and officials are not ruling out the possibility of arson.