Save one of Turkey's most important wetlands, the Aras River wetlands - petition

Support us to save one of Turkey's most important wetlands, the Aras River wetlands that is also my long-term ornithological research site. We have documented 240 of Turkey's 470 bird species here, and 40% of all of Turkey's land vertebrate species. This site meets 4 different criteria of a Ramsar wetland of global importance but is about to be destroyed by a dam.

"This is one of the world’s most important wetlands for birds. If the Tuzluca dam is constructed in the Aras Valley, the feeding, breeding and wintering areas for at least 240 bird species and nearly 100 mammal, reptile and amphibian species will be destroyed. This includes 36 animal species threatened or near threatened with extinction. With more research, it is thought that HALF of all land animal species in Turkey will be recorded here."

Further details are in the petition  and I'd be grateful if you can sign it in less than a minute.

Cagan Sekercioglu, Ph.D.

University of Utah
Department of Biology
257 S. 1400 E. Rm. 201
Salt Lake City, UT. 84112
www.sekercioglu.org