Oguzhan Erfidan
This project aims to develop a comprehensive ecological assessment and conservation framework for the Isparta and Burdur populations of Liquidambar orientalis Mill. (Oriental sweetgum), a relict and endemic tree species restricted to southwestern Türkiye.
The Isparta and Burdur populations represent the northern and ecologically marginal limit of the species’ natural distribution. Today, L. orientalis persists in highly fragmented and spatially restricted habitats, primarily concentrated in the provinces of Muğla, Aydın, Denizli, Burdur, and Isparta. These peripheral populations are increasingly exposed to multiple pressures, including land-use change, illegal logging, and climate change impacts.
The primary objective of the project is to identify, map, and ecologically characterise existing L. orientalis populations in Isparta and Burdur while strengthening local awareness and conservation engagement. Fieldwork will be conducted in Bucak and Sütçüler, where all occurrence points will be recorded in situ using GPS.
In addition to georeferenced presence data, each site will be systematically documented with habitat observations and indicators of anthropogenic pressure, including grazing intensity, fuelwood collection, and visible land-use alteration. Field-derived occurrence data will be integrated with key topographic variables, including elevation, slope, and aspect, and prepared for spatial analysis in ArcGIS. Potential distribution areas will then be modelled using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm to generate habitat suitability maps. By combining empirical occurrence data with environmental predictors, the project will identify both currently occupied areas and ecologically suitable but unoccupied habitats, providing a spatially explicit basis for conservation prioritisation.
Following identification of potential conservation zones, stakeholder meetings will be organised with university researchers and representatives of the Regional Directorate of Forestry to support integration of ecological findings into regional forest management and restoration planning.
The project also includes collaboration with local communities and relevant institutions to reduce human-induced pressures through awareness-raising and guidance on sustainable land-use practices, including actions to reduce grazing pressure in critical regeneration zones.
All outputs, including current and potential distribution maps and model results, will be shared with relevant forestry and conservation authorities. Educational posters and brochures will be distributed in villages surrounding the study area. By integrating ecological modelling with participatory conservation, the project will support long-term protection, monitoring, and adaptive management of Oriental sweetgum forests and provide a robust scientific baseline for future conservation planning.
The resulting dataset will also serve as a scientific baseline for long-term monitoring, adaptive conservation planning, and future climate-resilient restoration strategies in the region.