Introduction
Our page features a total of 286 pictures of 45 herbaceous plant and flower species, taken in the province of Nevşehir as a first step, which is located in Cappadocia, a very wide region right at the center of Anatolia that covers at least five provinces of Turkey. With further selections from our catalogue of pictures, currently underway, the number of species is expected to multiply soon. With ongoing land surveys, the number of herbaceous and woody plants featured on our page will keep growing.
Our main goal in showcasing our natural and wild vegetation is to let people see, feel, and appreciate the presence, beauty, and value of these life forms, with which we share the same air and land, and live together. A majority of these plants existed here even before humans did. They have changed over time. We can tell that by looking at fossil records. Often treated as “weeds,” these plants are in fact indispensable building blocks of our ecosystem. It would be a great loss if they were to disappear. We believe raising awareness of this issue is very important in Turkey.
The climate zone in which Turkey is located is at the intersection of three plant geographies (Europe-Siberia, Iran-Turan, Mediterranean). Turkey has different geographical regions and a unique geological and topographical diversity, and is one of the richest places on earth in terms of plant diversity. Various publications about the issue report that the European continent as a whole has about 12,000 to 13,000 plant species, whereas Turkey alone has 12,500 to 13,000 species, 3,000 of them endemic (unique to Turkey, naturally growing only in Turkey). However, the inevitable processes of urbanization and industrialization over the last half century and social and economic activities such as construction and tourism threaten wildlife, exacerbated by a lack of knowledge and awareness. In Cappadocia, there is a clear need to raise awareness of activities, mass tourism in particular, that can threaten the special plant diversity of the region.
The geological, historical, and cultural riches of Cappadocia are complemented by features of its vegetation. On this page, our goal is to create individual and social awareness of these riches. This method, known as “citizen science” globally, is being implemented in Cappadocia for the first time. Mr. Halil Nuri Hepdinç, who made the biggest contribution to our efforts, gave us permission to use on our page his special photography collection on plants, which made it possible to access pictures of plants that many of us haven’t noticed before, and hear their names for the first time. We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to Mr. Hepdinç, who led this effort. There is no doubt that our ancestors knew, recognized, and used all of these plants. They lent us this diverse vegetation and the folk culture they formed around it so that we could pass them down to future generations. The awareness that we would like to create aims to protect the vegetation in the Cappadocia region, particularly our endemic plants, and the intangible cultural heritage formed around them.
Citizen science invites your participation and support. Please share your photos with us. Please support us in improving our page both visually and theoretically. We are confident that this idealist effort will snowball and make history as an important inventory study.
Our main reference in identifying the Turkish and Latin names of the plants pictured on our pages, as well as the names of their “species” and “families,” was “Güner, Adil (Chief Editor) – Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi; Damarlı Bitkiler [List of Plants in Turkey, Vascular Plants]. ANG Vakfı, Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi Yayınları, İstanbul-2012”. Sources we frequently consulted also included publications cited in our references, all of them works by expert botanists and plant enthusiasts, and web sites created by specialist organizations and people.
Thank you.
Click for Cappadocia Plants Inventory website.
References
