Lake Salda Included in World Geological Heritage List

Lake Salda in Burdur and the Nemrut Caldera in Bitlis have been nominated from Turkey for the list, which is announced every two years as part of a project initiated by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and supported by UNESCO.

It has been announced at the 37th International Geological Congress held in Busan, South Korea, that Lake Salda from Turkey has been included in the list.

Nizamettin Kazancı, Vice President of the UNESCO Turkish National Commission and President of the Geological Heritage Conservation Association, stated that the second part of the list, the first of which was announced in 2022 as part of the project, was unveiled at the congress's press conference this morning.

Explaining that 20 of the geological heritages on the list were also introduced in 5-minute presentations, Kazancı stated the following:

"Our Lake Salda is also among those introduced. Within the quota given to countries for candidates to the list, we submitted Lake Salda and the Nemrut Caldera. In the announced list, we only saw Lake Salda; Nemrut was not included in the list."

"Whether or not it is included in the list, the scientific importance of our natural assets will not diminish. We will investigate why Nemrut could not be included, but my personal opinion is that there are already many volcanoes with similar characteristics on the list."

Kazancı emphasized that Lake Salda is one of the most important geological heritages in the world. Stating that this place is presented to the world as the Earth's equivalent of life on Mars billions of years ago, and introduced as the "Mars Analog of Lake Salda," Kazancı reported that they proposed Salda for the list due to the importance of its sediments, and that a book on this subject is also being prepared.

Pointing out that the inclusion of Lake Salda in the "List of the World's 100 Most Important Geological Heritage Sites" will further increase its recognition, Kazancı spoke as follows:

"We need to protect Salda much better. Its inclusion on the list means that Salda will be better protected. There are well-intentioned efforts by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the General Directorate for the Protection of Natural Assets, the Burdur Governorship, the UNESCO Turkish National Commission, and other public institutions toward the protection of Salda."

Salda will become a tourism hub in the coming years. To meet expectations and ensure the sustainability of geotourism, maximum attention must be paid to conservation. Tourist pressure must also be limited and well-managed."

Kazancı warned visitors to Lake Salda not to step on sensitive areas and to take care of the lake.