Türkiye has lost wetlands covering an area equivalent to approximately 1.5 times the size of the Sea of Marmara over the past 60 years, which a development expert says is significantly increasing drought risk, accelerating biodiversity loss and undermining efforts to combat climate change.

The findings come as World Wetlands Day is observed on Feb. 2, an annual event aimed at raising global awareness of the ecological, cultural and economic importance of wetlands. The day has been marked internationally since 1997 and was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2021.

Wetlands are among the world’s most productive ecosystems, playing a central role in regulating water cycles, storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. Despite their importance, they are disappearing rapidly. Globally, an estimated 50% of wetlands have been lost since the early 1900s, with losses reaching 56% in the Mediterranean Basin, according to conservation experts.

Şafak Arslan, conservation program coordinator at Doğa Derneği, said Türkiye’s wetland losses have reached roughly 2 million hectares, driven primarily by unsustainable agricultural water use, climate change and unregulated groundwater extraction.

"Wetland loss is directly linked to increasing drought risk,” Arslan said. "When wetlands disappear, the natural water cycle is disrupted. In areas where wetlands are protected and expanded, it is possible to establish a natural balance against drought.”

World Wetlands Day marks the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which was signed on Feb. 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar and entered into force in 1975. The convention commits its 172 contracting parties to protect wetlands and ensure their sustainable and wise use.

Under the convention, wetlands of international importance are designated as Ramsar sites, covering a wide range of ecosystems including lakes, rivers, deltas, floodplains, peatlands, wet meadows, and saline and freshwater bodies. The world’s first Ramsar site was designated in 1974 on Australia’s Cobourg Peninsula.

Türkiye became a party to the convention in 1994 and currently has 14 Ramsar-designated sites, out of more than 2,400 worldwide.

Arslan said wetlands are not only ecological assets but also cultural landscapes that have shaped human settlement patterns for thousands of years.

"Since humans transitioned to settled life, they have chosen to live in areas where water is present,” she said. "Wetlands are among the oldest human settlement areas, and there is a long-standing historical interaction between wetlands and communities.”

This year’s World Wetlands Day theme, "cultural heritage and traditional knowledge,” highlights the relationship between wetlands and long-established land and water management practices. According to Arslan, communities living around wetlands historically developed production methods that worked in harmony with natural systems.

"These areas contain ancient knowledge passed down through generations,” she said. "As this traditional knowledge disappears, wetlands are being lost more rapidly.”

In ecological terms, wetlands are considered core ecosystems due to their high biodiversity and their function as carbon sinks. Arslan emphasized the role of peatlands, which store large quantities of carbon and help reduce the impacts of climate change by preventing carbon from being released into the atmosphere.

"Wetlands, like forests and oceans, act as carbon sinks,” she said. "Peatlands in particular have an exceptionally high carbon storage capacity.”

Experts warn that the loss of wetlands is also intensifying pressure on water resources. Arslan said unplanned and illegal groundwater extraction is preventing the replenishment of surface waters and contributing to long-term environmental damage, including sinkhole formation.

"When a wetland dries up or its structure is degraded, species that cannot meet their needs for food, shelter and water are forced to leave or face extinction,” Arslan said. "This creates a chain reaction that affects the entire ecosystem.”

Türkiye lies on key migratory bird routes, making wetlands critical stopover and wintering sites for ducks, geese, swans and other waterbirds. The loss of wetlands along these routes, Arslan said, can cause birds to lose orientation and struggle to find sufficient feeding areas.

"If alternative habitats are too far apart, birds may not be able to meet their energy needs, leading to population losses,” she said.

In Türkiye, some of the most severe wetland losses have occurred in the Konya Closed Basin in central Türkiye, Lake Tuz in central Anatolia, and the Lakes Region in southwestern Türkiye, where many wetlands have either completely dried up or shrunk significantly.

Arslan identified agricultural irrigation as the primary driver of wetland loss, noting that about 80% of Türkiye’s available freshwater resources are consumed by agriculture. Inefficient irrigation methods and crop patterns incompatible with local conditions have placed heavy pressure on water systems, she said, while climate change has further accelerated the process.

Experts say conservation efforts must now move beyond protection toward large-scale restoration, including reviving traditional water management practices and improving coordination among institutions.

"Protecting what remains is no longer enough,” Arslan said. "Wetlands need to be restored. This can only be achieved through coordinated action by public institutions, local governments, civil society organizations and academic communities.”