Yusufeli Dam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures. Some or all of this information may be speculative, and the content may change as building construction begins. |
 |
The proposed Yusufeli Dam and Hydro-Electric Power Project is to be located on the Çoruh River in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. The Yusufeli Dam will be the second largest dam within the larger Çoruh River Development Plan which plans to build 13 dams, of which 2 are operational and another 2 are under construction[1]. The Yusufeli Dam will have 33 km2 surface area, 60 km total length (including tributaries), and an average width of 550 m. Operating 8 hours per day over peak period it will produce 315-540 MW and is expected to cost 855 million USD. The proponents of this project are the Turkish Government and a consortium consisting of: Doğuş Inşaat ve Ticaret AS (Turkey) as leader; Alstom (Switzerland, France and Brazil); Coyne and Bellier (France); and Dolsar Mühendislik (Turkey).
[edit] Biological Impacts
When built, the Yusufeli Dam will have significant biological impacts including:
- adversely affecting 21 nationally listed threatened plant species, of which all except one are endemic to Turkey[2]. Of these threatened species 2 taxa are limited to Yusufeli and its surroundings, 8 are limited to the Çoruh Valley, and 6 to the Artvin-Erzurum area. Turkish Red Book for Plants shows that of these, 7 species are critically endangered, 5 are endangered and 9 are vulnerable[3].
- adversely affecting 12 nationally listed threatened mammal species including the; Wild Goat (Capra aegagrus), Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), Persian Squirrel (Sciurus anomalus), Forest Dormouse (Dryomys nitedula), Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), Eurasian Badger (Meles meles), Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus euryale), Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), Greater Mouse-Eared Bat (Myotis myotis), Schreiber’s Bat (Miniopterus schreibersi) and Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus). Of these species the Mediterranean Bat and Wild Goat are internationally listed on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species[4].
- adversely affecting 2 nationally threatened fish species, the Black Sea Salmon (Salmo trutta labrax) and Brown Trout (Salmo trutta macrostigma). The Black Sea Salmon’s migration will be blocked because of this and the other planned and built dams. Existing populations of fish will be adversely affected by the construction of the dam and another 6 species populations may not recover due to the reduction of creek and river habitat needed for breeding.
- potentially adversely affecting 5 butterfly and 1 dragonfly regionally rare species (Polyommatus poseidon, Pseudophilotes vicrama, Pyrgus cirsii, Scolitantides orion, Thymelicus acteon, and Onychogomphus assimilis) of which 2 are listed in the IUCN red list Pyrgus cirsii and Onychogomphus assimilis [5].
| Species | Endemic | Threat level | Distribution in Turkey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reseda globosa | No | Critically endangered | Coruh Valley |
| Lathyrus woronowii | Endemic | Critically endangered | Coruh Valley |
| Ferula mervinii | Endemic | Critically endangered | Yusufeli & its vinicity |
| Anthemis calcarea var calcarea | Endemic | Critically endangered | Artvin-Erzurum |
| Anthemis calcarea var discoidea | Endemic | Critically endangered | Artvin-Erzurum |
| Centaurea straminicephala | Endemic | Critically endangered | Coruh Valley |
| Centaurea leptophylla | Endemic | Critically endangered | Yusufeli & its vinicity |
| Clypeola raddeana | Endemic | Endangered | Coruh Valley |
| Morina persica var decussatifolia | Endemic | Endangered | Artvin-Erzurum |
| Campanula troegeraeƒ | Endemic | Endangered | Artvin-Erzurum |
| Verbascum gracilescens | Endemic | Endangered | Coruh Valley |
| Asperula virgata | Endemic | Endangered | Coruh Valley |
| Acer divergens var divergens | Endemic | Vulnerable | Coruh Valley |
| Sempervivum staintonii | Endemic | Vulnerable | Coruh Valley |
| Seseli andronakii | Endemic | Vulnerable | Artvin-Erzurum |
| Bupleurum brachiatum | Endemic | Vulnerable | Middle & East Blacksea |
| Bupleurum schistosum | Endemic | Vulnerable | Coruh Valley |
| Centaurea pecho | Endemic | Vulnerable | East Blacksea |
| Centaurea hedgei | Endemic | Vulnerable | Artvin-Erzurum |
| Linaria genistifolia subsp artivinensis | Endemic | Vulnerable | Coruh Valley |
| Iris taochia | Endemic | Vulnerable | East Blacksea |
[edit] References
- ^ ENCON 2006, ‘Yusufeli Dam and Hydroelectric Power Project Environmental Impact Assessment’, Ankara, Turkey
- ^ Lambourne, M 2006, 'Biological Assessment: the Yusufeli Dam & Hydro-electric Power Project's Environmental Impact Assessment'
- ^ Ekim, T, Koyuncu, M, Vural, M, Duman, H, Aytac, Z & Adiguzel, N 2000, Türkiye Bitkileri Kırmızı Kitabi – Red Data Book of Turkish Plants, Türkiye Tabiatını Koruma Derneği – Turkish Association for the Conservation of Nature, Ankara, Turkey.
- ^ IUCN 2006, IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- ^ Eken G, Bozdogan M, I˙sfendiyaroglu S, Kılıç DT & Lise Y, (editer) 2006, Key biodiversity areas in Turkey, Doga Dernegi, Ankara, Turkey.
