| Lake Gala National Park | |
|---|---|
| Gala Gölü Milli Parkı | |
 | |
  Lake Gala NP | |
| Location | Edirne Province, Turkey |
| Nearest city | İpsala,Enez |
| Coordinates | 40°46′07″N26°11′08″E / 40.76861°N 26.18556°E /40.76861; 26.18556 |
| Area | 6,090 ha (15,000 acres) |
| Established | March 5, 2005; 20 years ago (2005-03-05) |
| Governing body | Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks Ministry of Environment and Forest |
TheLake Gala National Park (Turkish:Gala Gölü Milli Parkı), established on March 5, 2005, is anational park located withinEdirne Province inMarmara Region of Turkey.[1]
The national park covers an area consisting of Lake Pamuklu and Lake Küçük Gala within the boundaries ofİpsala andEnez districts of Edirne Province. It is 8 km (5.0 mi) far from Enez, and 23 km (14 mi) from İpsala.[2]
In 1991, 2,369 ha (5,850 acres) of land was declared anature reserve. In 2002, biologists fromTrakya University inEdirne demanded transformation of theprotected area into national park status due to pollution of lakes bypesticide waste andfertilizer, used in agriculture, as well as uncontrolled fishing activities and birdpoaching that reach a level of massacre.[3] In 2005, the area was enlarged to 6,090 ha (15,000 acres), and it was established as a national park. Lake Gala National Park is anecosystem of 3,090 ha (7,600 acres)wetland, lake and 3,000 ha (7,400 acres) forest. It is ahabitat for various plant and animal species.[1][2]
The protected area is administered by the Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks (Turkish:Doğa Koruma ve Milli Parklar Genel Müdürlüğü) of theMinistry of Environment and Forest.[1]
The national park is situated within theMaritsa DeltaWetland, which is aRamsar site of A-class meeting three criteria.[2]
The park is quite rich of bird genera. The area hosts around 45,000 birds.[4] Some 163 bird species are observed in the area, of which 46 are resident, 27 winter migratory and 90 summer migratory birds. Best time to observe most of the bird species all together is between April and May in the spring, and September and October in the fall.[5][6]
In February 2018, it was reported that nearly ten thousandflamingos arrived at the lake for the first time to overwinter because of the mild winter weather, in addition toducks,geese andtrumpeter swans.[4]
The two lakes are home to 16 fish genera,[7] includingEuropean eel (Anguilla anguilla, L.),pike perch (Stizostedion lucioperca L.),common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) andnorthern pike (Esox lucius), which are of high economic value.[5]