A breeding monk seal habitat in Kuşadası under habitat destruction threat
In 2014, SAD-AFAG had been reported by its Kuşadası Representative that a newly constructed hotel just behind the Botanic Park coasts in Kuşadası was constructing a road and a huge lift for accessing to the rocky shore.
Since it is well known by SAD-AFAG that the coastal habitat next to Botanic Park in Kuşadası (Aydın province just south of İzmir province, along Aegean coasts of Turkey) holds a monk seal breeding marine cave, an immediate communication and reporting procedure was started by conservation department of SAD-AFAG in August 2014, which continued until April 2015.
After a very busy process, the relevant authorities have finally warned the hotel and the court stopped the construction sealing the construction site in 10th April 2015, which approached almost 15 meters just above the breeding cave. The mother monk seal images captured by Selçuk Arı, SAD-AFAG Kuşadası Representative, and the habitat destruction initiative by the hotel called SUHAN 360 can be seen in the below section.
Aydın Governorship has also made a communique a s reply to SAD letter dated 18 November 2014 supporting SAD’s view that the road and lift construction just along the coast in question should immediately be ceased. The letter received from the Governorship of Aydın and the translation of the relevant section can be seen in this link.
© 2015 SAD-AFAG