Niğde’s natural wonder area is turning into a landfill

Meydan Yaylası, Karagöl, and Çinigöl in the Bolkar Mountains region within the borders of the Ulukışla district of Niğde are under threat due to the irresponsible behaviors of visitors. Despite the presence of trash containers, visitors who come to the region through tour companies have been littering randomly, causing harm to the natural beauties of the area that is home to dozens of endemic plant species, the Taurus frog (Rana Holtzi) also known as the ‘silent frog,’ and wild horses. Nature lovers are outraged by the fact that campers coming to the lakeside are not setting up their tents at a distance that would not disturb the natural habitat of the world’s only silent frog species, which is protected under the Bern Convention. Despite the necessary warnings, they did not take this into account. Local and foreign visitors guided in the region criticized by Hikmet İçel, a mountaineer, for creating a situation where it is impossible to enjoy nature in a place where 150 people communicate by shouting and singing loudly, and setting up tents right by the lake, which unfortunately harms the endemic species in the region. İçel also mentioned the disappearance of the endemic plant species called ‘reverse tulip’ in a matter of days due to unconscious visits, emphasizing that the uncontrolled behavior of some visitors is leading to the destruction of natural elements in the area. He expressed concerns that if this lack of control continues, soon there might be nothing left in the region.