In the 8th workshop of the “Urban Workshops” organized by Istanbul Medeniyet University, the “BioBlitz” event was held under the theme of sustainable city. Summer observation of the workshop titled “Ecology in the City – BioBlitz: Validebağ Grove” organized under BioBlitz IMU events was conducted by our University research assistant Ayça ÇELIKBILEK, wildlife biologist/ornithologist Nuh KUBILAY and geological engineer Gökhan SAPMAZ. In the event held in Üsküdar Validebağ Grove on Saturday, August 06th, 2022, a total of 10 hours of observation was made.
In the workshop held in Validebağ Grove, which was registered as a 1st-degree natural heritage area and declared as a protected area, the biodiversity of the land was recorded and mapped by identifying the living species in the area. In the summer observation, which was organized as the sixth part of the BioBlitz events, 146 observations were made and 142 of them were recorded with photographs. 59 different observers and experts from all around the world provided support to the recorded observations. As a result of the definitions, 73 species were identified and recorded in the spring observation. Thus, as a result of the studies that started in December 2021, a total of 270 species were identified and recorded in Validebağ Grove. Identification studies continue for the observations whose family and genus have been determined but the species classification has not been made yet.
Approximately 10% of the living species observed in the workshop belonged to bird species. While some of these species were observed and recorded with photographs while they were feeding, staging or nesting in the area, some were observed through binoculars while flying over the area. This also revealed the important contribution of the protected ecosystem to the species richness of the region, which is used as a staging and feeding area by birds, by not interfering with the natural structure of the area. It has been determined that interventions to the area or opening the area to the structural development of the city will create a human-wildlife conflict, which bears the risk of reducing species diversity along with habitat loss. However, it was noted that the observation records made for small songbirds, which were abundantly seen in the area last year, decreased significantly compared to last year.
During the summer observation, a large number of butterfly species were detected, especially due to the presence of flowering plants. During the observation, 10 different butterfly and moth species were recorded. It was also determined that the flowering seen in the plants is an important factor for noticing the species by the observers. A total of 30 plant species were recorded in the workshop. At the same time, it was determined that there was an increase in plant and accordingly insect/spider species in the area, and it was determined that the area is home to a large number of bee species.
Due to the high temperatures and low rainfall, mushroom and lichen observations and snail observations remained at a limited level in the summer observation. While one lichen and one snail species were recorded in the observation, it was determined that the majority of snails were in estivation.
In the observations made, the green parrot, which was defined as an invasive species in 41 countries including our country, was recorded as in the previous workshops.
One of the main purposes of BioBlitz IMU activities, which are designed not only as a nature observation but also as environmental education, is to contribute to the recognition and protection of the environment by developing correct attitudes, behaviors and skills in the local community. In this sense, the workshop contents aim to explore environmental problems, resolve conflicts between nature and human beings and solve the problems caused by this conflict, and mobilize individuals and then communities in order to improve the environment. In order to achieve these goals, all participants were informed about the observed species, their characteristics and habitats during the observations made during the workshop and the species identification studies carried out after the workshop. In addition, information was given about the threats that rapid/unplanned urbanization and climate change will pose on these species and their habitats. Thus, the workshops contributed to the citizens’ understanding of the importance of green spaces and natural heritage areas, which are gradually decreasing in a big metropolitan area like Istanbul, and to the awareness that they share these areas with many living species. They also aimed to increase the awareness of the citizens by recognizing the living species and to spread the community-based conservation works.
The participants were given a digital participation certificate after the workshop, which was open to the public.
You can follow BioBlitz IMU’s next observation workshop on sdg.medeniyet.edu.tr.
