The growing construction near southeastern Diyarbakır's Kabaklı Pond, which is home to approximately 150 bird species year-round, poses a serious threat to the region's wildlife, according to professor Ahmet Kılıç, the head of the Biology Department at Dicle University and an ornithologist.
Kabaklı Pond, situated within the Dicle University campus and sustained by water from the Tigris River, houses an array of bird species like storks, herons, walleyes, larks, pigeons, goldfinches, planks, redshanks and stilts. This sanctuary has gained popularity among birdwatchers due to its diverse avian population. The area, considered a haven for birds, is inaccessible to hunters due to security measures, contributing to its status as a sanctuary.
Kılıç highlighted the importance of Kabaklı Pond for biodiversity and raised concerns about the nearby construction activities. The university campus has served as a protected area for wildlife, giving it the status of a bird sanctuary. However, recent years have seen construction for residential areas in proximity to the pond posing a significant threat to its ecosystem. Kılıç warned that if the construction encroaches upon the pond's edges, numerous species might disappear, leading to the loss of this bird paradise.
He stressed the need for measures to safeguard the pond, emphasizing that residential settlements should maintain a distance from Kabaklı Pond. The pond hosts various waterfowl, including swans, geese, multiple duck species and shorebirds. Kılıç emphasized that preserving this sanctuary for future generations hinges on immediate action and cooperation among nature enthusiasts, local authorities and nongovernmental organizations.
Kılıç expressed concern that if this threat persists, the risk of losing the bird sanctuary becomes a grim reality, and is urging the community to join efforts to protect the pond and its diverse wildlife.
