Some 28 plains across 19 provinces in Türkiye have been designated as “Large plain protection areas” to ensure their conservation and sustainable management.
A Presidential Decree regarding the establishment of these areas was recently published in the Official Gazette, marking a significant step toward safeguarding Türkiye’s vital agricultural regions.
The decision focuses on plains with high agricultural productivity that are facing rapid soil erosion, environmental degradation and land misuse, all of which threaten their long-term sustainability. These plains are now recognized as “large plain protection areas” to preserve their ecological and agricultural value.
The decision also specifies that planned development areas within these plains, as well as those where non-agricultural use permits have already been granted, are excluded from this protection status.
As a result of this decree, 28 plains in 19 provinces have been officially identified for conservation. These include:
In central Türkiye, Babakonağı in Aksaray, Türkhöyük and Acıkuyu in Ankara, Sazakiçi in Bolu, Yazı in Burdur, Çerkeş in Çankırı, Bünyan in Kayseri, Hamzalı and Ocakbaşı in Kırıkkale, Ovaören and Tepeköy in Nevşehir, Tekmen and Kocakurt in Sivas, Ulubey in Uşak. In northern Türkiye, Gökırmak and Karasu in Sinop, Artova in Tokat, eastern Türkiye: Çıldır in Ardahan, Otlukbeli in Erzincan, Ünlükaya in Erzurum, Kurtalan in Siirt, Çolpan and Hasantimur in Van.
In the Marmara region of Türkiye: Keşan, Ipsala, Tunca, Küçükdoğanca in Edirne. in southeastern Türkiye, Kurtalan in Siirtm in Aegean Türkiye, Kuzyaka in Muğla and Ulubey in Uşak.
Moreover, 27 of the designated plains have undergone boundary adjustments to better reflect the current environmental and agricultural conditions.