Unsustainable harvest of water frogs in southern Turkey for the European market

Çiçek, Kerim; Ayaz, Dinçer; Afsar, Murat; Bayrakcı, Yusuf; Pekşen, Çiǧdem Akın; Cumhuriyet, Oǧuzkan; Tok, Cemal Varol

Unsustainable harvest of water frogs in southern Turkey for the European market

dc.authorid	0000-0001-9323-9157	en_US
dc.authorscopusid	6602719986	en_US
dc.authorwosid	AAG-6778-2019	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Çiçek, Kerim
dc.contributor.author	Ayaz, Dinçer
dc.contributor.author	Afsar, Murat
dc.contributor.author	Bayrakcı, Yusuf
dc.contributor.author	Pekşen, Çiǧdem Akın
dc.contributor.author	Cumhuriyet, Oǧuzkan
dc.contributor.author	Tok, Cemal Varol
dc.date.accessioned	2023-04-14T11:43:06Z
dc.date.available	2023-04-14T11:43:06Z
dc.date.issued	2021	en_US
dc.department	Fakülteler, Fen Fakültesi, Biyoloji Bölümü
dc.description.abstract	Frogs have been harvested from the wild for the last 40 years in Turkey. We analysed the population dynamics of Anatolian water frogs (Pelophylax spp.) in the Seyhan and Ceyhan Deltas during 2013-2015. We marked a total of 13,811 individuals during 3 years, estimated population sizes, simulated the dynamics of a harvested population over 50 years, and collated frog harvest and export statistics from the region and for Turkey as a whole. Our capture estimates indicated a population reduction of c. 20% per year, and our population modelling showed that, if overharvesting continues at current rates, the harvested populations will decline rapidly. Simulations with a model of harvested population dynamics resulted in a risk of extinction of > 90% within 50 years, with extinction likely in c. 2032. Our interviews with harvesters revealed their economic dependence on the frog harvest. However, our results also showed that reducing harvest rates would not only ensure the viability of these frog populations but would also provide a source of income that is sustainable in the long term. Our study provides insights into the position of Turkey in the 'extinction domino' line, in which harvest pressure shifts among countries as frog populations are depleted and harvest bans are effected. We recommend that harvesting of wild frogs should be banned during the mating season, hunting and exporting of frogs < 30 g should be banned, and harvesters should be trained on species knowledge and awareness of regulations. Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna and Flora International.	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Çiçek, K., Ayaz, D., Afsar, M., Bayrakcl, Y., Pekşen, Ç. A., Cumhuriyet, O., . . . Akçakaya, H. R. (2021). Unsustainable harvest of water frogs in southern turkey for the european market. Oryx, 55(3), 364-372. doi:10.1017/S0030605319000176	en_US
dc.identifier.endpage	372	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0030-6053
dc.identifier.issn	1365-3008
dc.identifier.issue	3	en_US
dc.identifier.scopus	2-s2.0-85087296073
dc.identifier.startpage	364	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605319000176
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12428/3995
dc.identifier.volume	55	en_US
dc.identifier.wos	WOS:000647061400015
dc.identifier.wosquality	Q2
dc.indekslendigikaynak	Web of Science
dc.indekslendigikaynak	Scopus
dc.institutionauthor	Tok, Cemal Varol
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher	Cambridge University Press	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Oryx	en_US
dc.relation.publicationcategory	Makale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanı	en_US
dc.relation.tubitak	info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/TUBITAK/SOBAG/112T913
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess	en_US
dc.rights	Attribution 3.0 United States	*
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/	*
dc.subject	Amphibian conservation	en_US
dc.subject	Anatolian water frog	en_US
dc.subject	Extinction domino effect	en_US
dc.subject	Frog harvest	en_US
dc.subject	Pelophylax	en_US
dc.subject	Sustainable use	en_US
dc.subject	Turkey	en_US
dc.subject	Wildlife trade	en_US
dc.title	Unsustainable harvest of water frogs in southern Turkey for the European market
dc.type	Article