Türkiye released more than 3.7 million animals into their natural habitats in 2025 as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen wildlife populations and support ecosystem conservation, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

The Ministry's General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP) said a total of 3,745,402 animals were reintroduced into the wild last year, including 45,250 wild birds, 152 wild mammals and 3.7 million trout.

The releases were carried out under species protection action plans, wildlife breeding programs and habitat restoration initiatives aimed at enhancing biodiversity across the country.

According to the data, Türkiye has reintroduced more than 51.1 million animals into their natural environments between 2001 and 2025. The figure includes 1.48 million wild birds, 2,421 wild mammals and 49.6 million trout.

Officials said the release of wild birds helped strengthen natural populations, while mammal reintroduction programs supported ongoing species conservation efforts. The release of millions of trout into rivers and lakes was also intended to support aquatic ecosystems and maintain biodiversity in inland waters.

Türkiye currently operates 85 wildlife development areas covering more than 1.17 million hectares. Wildlife inventories conducted in these areas last year identified 29,694 individual animals from 17 species.

The government also continues to expand the country's protected areas network. As of the end of 2025, approximately 3.8 million hectares of land were under legal protection to safeguard biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural values.

Türkiye has 690 protected areas, including national parks, nature parks, nature conservation sites, wildlife development areas and internationally recognized wetlands.

The total size of protected areas increased by nearly 39,800 hectares compared with the previous year. Wildlife development areas account for the largest share of protected land at 30.7%, followed by national parks at 24.7%.

According to the National Biodiversity Inventory, Türkiye is home to 13,343 seed plant species, including 3,301 endemic species and 391 locally endemic species, making it one of Europe's most biologically diverse countries.

Biodiversity data are collected and stored in the Noah's Ark National Biodiversity Database, which provides long-term monitoring and detailed information on species distribution and conservation status across the country.