Monitoring the annual change of fauna in Ilgaz Mountain Wildlife Reserve by using biodiversity indices

Abstract

Wildlife management, planning, and development, determining the current floristic and faunistic features in a given region are critical for future research. Biodiversity indices are tools that help to express concepts such as species richness and ecosystem richness of an area or areas numerically. Turkiye is one of the leading countries in Europe in terms of biodiversity, with many locations having a high level of diversity thanks to its fauna and flora. Kastamonu province is the unique region in the Black Sea region, consisting of four wildlife refuges, two national parks and a biodiversity hotspot. In the current study, the 4-year inventory carried out by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for the determination of wildlife species in the Ilgaz Mountain Wildlife Reserve was examined, and the number of species in the area was calculated using biodiversity indices. Results of inventories were evaluated. In the study, it was observed that species diversity decreased over the years, but the populations of some species were dominant and increased.