Çoruh River
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The Çoruh River or Ch'orokhi River (Georgian: ჭოროხი, Turkish: Çoruh) starts in the Mescit Mountains (3225 m) in the north-eastern Turkey and flows into Georgia before it reaches the Black Sea. It is the Acampsis of the ancient Greek historian Arrian.
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[edit] Description
The Çoruh is Turkey's last remaining wild river and famous for its world class white water. It attracts kayakers and rafters from all over the world and was the site of the 2005 Coruh Extreme kayak competition (See whitewater kayaking) organised by Dave Manby who is an authority on kayaking in the area.
[edit] Biodiversity
The Çoruh is not only renowned as a world class kayaking and rafting river but its valley is recognised as a global biological treasure chest. It is located within the Caucasus biodiversity hotspot, one of only 25 world-wide and is one of World Wild Fund for Nature’s Global 200 regions considered critical for global conservation[1]. Conservation International, using Norman Myers’ work, identified 25 important biodiversity hotspots over the globe and the Caucasus hotspot includes the Çoruh Valley[2]. The Çoruh Valley is recognised by Turkish conservation organisations as an important plant area[3], an important bird area[4], a key biodiversity area[5] and has been nominated as a high priority area for protection. This valley is incredibly rich in plants and contains 104 nationally threatened plant species of which 67 are endemic to Turkey[6].
[edit] Threats
This unique catchment is under threat from a multitude of dams which will have a large detrimental impact on its unique biodiversity. A total of 13 hydro-electric dams are planned as part of the Çoruh River Development Plan[7] but a total of 27 are proposed for the Çoruh River Catchment. Under the Çoruh Development Plan, 2 dams have been completed (Murtli Dam and Tortum Dam), another 2 are under construction (Borcka Dam and Deriner Dam) and Yusufeli Dam, just upstream is in its final planning phase.
| Dam | Phase |
|---|---|
| Tortum Dam | Operational |
| Muratli Dam | Operational |
| Borcka Dam | Under construction |
| Deriner Dam | Under construction |
| Artvin Dam | Planned |
| Yusufeli Dam | Planned |
| Ayvali Dam | Planned |
| Olur Dam | Planned |
| Arkun Dam | Planned |
| Aksu Dam | Planned |
| Gullubag Dam | Planned |
| Ispir Dam | Planned |
| Laleli Dam | Planned |
[edit] References
- ^ WWF Global 200 Regions
- ^ Conservation International Biodiversity Hotspots
- ^ Ozhatay N, Byfield A & Atay S 2005, 122 Important Plant Areas of Turkey, for WWF Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey.
- ^ Magnin G & Yarar M 1989, Important Bird Area in Turkey, Dogal Hayati Koruma Dernegi, Turkey.
- ^ Eken G, Bozdogan M, I˙sfendiyaroglu S, Kılıç DT & Lise Y, (editörler) 2006, Key biodiversity areas in Turkey, Doga Dernegi, Ankara, Turkey.
- ^ Ozhatay N, Byfield A & Atay S 2005, 122 Important Plant Areas of Turkey, for WWF Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey.
- ^ ENCON 2006, ‘Yusufeli Dam and Hydroelectric Power Project Environmental Impact Assessment’, Ankara, Turkey.
[edit] See Also
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