Sultan Marshes, Turkey: A New Approach to Sustainable Wetland Management

Abstract

Until recently wetlands were often regarded as wastelands. They are now generally acknowledged as being ecosystems of great value. With the recognition of wetland values, wetland protection has been emphasized by many countries. In an ecological approach to sensitive ecosystems such as wetlands, sustainability can only be achieved by rational planning decisions. In order to take rational planning decisions, the wetland resources should be evaluated according to their special ecological characteristics. In this case, Risk Analysis seemed the best solution to ensure sustainable wetland management. On the other hand the data to be used in wise management of wetlands should be realistic, reliable, accurate and should allow continuous control. The techniques which provide such data are especially Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing. Sultan Marshes (called Sultansazligi in Turkish), which is one of the Ramsar Sites of Turkey, is chosen as the case area to explain how sustainable use of wetland resources can be achieved using remote sensing data, GIS techniques and the risk analysis method.