Mapping Avi-Fauna in Terms of Observation Density and Species Diversity as a Case Study of Çukurova Region

Abstract

This study represents the quantitative habitat of Çukurova Region Avi-Fauna using bird watchers’ observation records in terms of bird observation and species density. Çukurova region has a high biodiversity especially in and around lagoon system of Çukurova Delta. However land use activities like agriculture and urbanization cause intensive degradation on ecosystem of the region. Depending on these a comprehensive ecologically based physical planning became mandatory for Çukurova Region.

Effective and sustainable ecological planning is directly affected by the quality and quantity of the considered input factors. So avifauna is a good indicator to take the habitat in to account for ecological planning which needs extreme source of time, labor and budget. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an effective tool which maintains to estimate avifauna in terms of density mapping. Hereby mapping of the observation and species density provide robust information for the quality of the habitat. In this manner the observation and species data are obtained, overhauled, mapped and represent in terms of density. Observation and species density are mapped using Kernel Density techniques in GIS environment.

As a result observations were concentrated around Çukurova Delta Lagoons and Balcalı Dam Lake of Adana. However the species density was estimated as maximum only in and around Çukurova Delta Lagoons. The concentration for species density is only getting high values around Delta region even though the higher values of observation density also in Dam lake region. This represents the dam lake region observations are depending on only a few species however the density maps show that the lagoon region has the highest diversity in terms of avifauna.