Forest fires in Marmaris and the surrounding area destroyed the habitats of many animal species, humans, and the endangered Marmaris Salamander.
According to modelling studies based on the increasing effects of climate change that were conducted by the Mediterranean Conservation Society and Ege University and published in 2020, the habitats of the Marmaris salamander (Lyciasalamandra flavimembris) could shrink by 9% by 2050, and as much as 62% by 2070. However, the forest fires that recently broke out in Muğla and burned down 65.000 hectares of forest destroyed approximately 25% of the species’s habitat.
The Marmaris salamander is one of the seven Lycian salamander species in the world, and it wasn’t the only one affected by this catastrophe. All species of Lycia salamander are endemic to Muğla, Antalya, and some Greek islands, and the forest fires in Turkey and Greece have increased the risk of extinction for these species.
According to the Red List by the IUCN, which assesses species’ extinction risks, all types of Lycian salamander are endangered in various categories. The species is a part of the Mediterranean ecosystem, and the reason for its habitat being so narrow is the moist and calcareous earth found in shrubland and natural pine forests. Salamanders spend the summer months hibernating under the earth, and their active period on the surface of the earth is during the winter months when rains increase.
When the Marmaris salamander awakens from hibernation next November, it will see a completely changed environment. This is why ploughing the earth just after the fires causes additional risk for the salamanders.
Biologist Dilara Arslan from the Mediterranean Conservation Society says: “Since 2018, we have been working to determine the habitats of the Marmaris salamander, the current state of its population, and threats against the species in Marmaris and the surrounding area. One of the primary threats facing the Marmaris salamander is forest fires, as well as littering in forests and urban buildup. We have worked together with many institutions, including the Marmaris National Parks Management and Marmaris City Council, and our volunteers, to protect the Marmaris salamander against these risks in its own habitat. Joining in the efforts to put out the very forest fires we had ascertained to be a threat also got added to these efforts.
The forest must rejuvenate itself as part of its natural cycle for the Marmaris salamander to be minimally affected by these forest fires. The nutrient dense layer of the earth where the forest fires took place will provide the salamanders with the moist environment in which they can spend the winter, as well as allowing plant species from forest and shrubland habitats to germinate once again. Barren areas which might form in these areas might not contain trees, but they will be home to other forest creatures. There are many tasks to be completed in the wake of the forest fires, and it is important to ensure a wholistic approach when monitoring the ecosystem and making the necessary interventions in light of scientific data. For this reason, we have begun our efforts to ascertain how the Marmaris salamander has been affected by the forest fires, in order to contribute to forest rehabilitation works in Marmaris and the surrounding area.”
Professor Kerim Çiçek from the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Science at Ege University states: “The dangers we foresaw for the Marmaris Salamander due to increased carbon emissions and the effects of climate change within the next 50 years happened over the course of two weeks. In the upcoming period, as well as being prepared for climate change, detailed plans must be made for the rehabilitation of burned areas, plans which take every species into consideration. Every effort to preserve and rehabilitate these areas will be the lifeblood for the sustainability of the populations of the Lycian salamander and every other species whose existence depends on the availability of natural forests and shrubland.”