UNWRITTEN LAWS IN KIZILIRMAK DELTA: THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE PROTECTION OF A WETLAND

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Wetlands are ecosystems with a number of common features that combine a wide variety of terrestrial, coastal and marine habitats, and the conservation, management and transfer of these resources to future generations is of paramount importance. However, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands is often ignored. This study was carried out to determine the role of TEK in the conservation and sustainable use of wetland. The Kızılırmak Delta Wetland, one of the most important wetlands in Turkey, and that is available on the UNESCO Tentative List of Natural Heritage constituted the context of the study. In this study, ethnographic (ethnographic) pattern from qualitative research patterns was used. The ethnographic method aims to reach qualitative results by analyzing the social life process, behaviour styles, relationships and code systematics related to the human community. The data were collected with the help of unattended observation and semi-structured interview forms and the descriptive analysis technique was employed in the analysis of the data. Within the scope of the method, TEK samples in Kızılırmak Delta Wetland were evaluated and seven themes related to the protection of the wetland were determined. Findings show that traditional practices and rituals, which are part of TEK in Kızılırmak Delta Wetland, indirectly contributed to keeping the Kızılırmak Delta Wetland as a natural unit from past to present and guided the local people to use the wetland resources wisely. As a result, TEK samples in Kızılırmak Delta Wetland contain practical information that can contribute by integrating into modern conservation approaches, especially in the conservation and sustainable use of the wetland.

303

Nature Conservation , Sacred Ecology , Wetland , Kızılırmak Delta

International Journal of Geography and Geography Education

327

International Journal of Geography and Geography Education