New Mounted Gendarmerie Begins Patrolling Salda Lake
Mounted Gendarmerie Team Assigned to Protect Salda Lake and Surrounding Forest Areas
Salda Lake, located in the Yeşilova district of Burdur, is a natural beauty that attracts thousands of tourists, both local and foreign, every year. To ensure that the lake and its surrounding forested areas are not adversely affected by the high number of visitors, the Mounted Gendarmerie Team has been assigned to the area starting from the summer of 2020.
The Mounted Gendarmerie Team, which is a part of the Gendarmerie Horse and Dog Training Center Command (JAKEM) under the Gendarmerie General Command, has been temporarily assigned to Salda Lake between June 6 and August 10 this year. Their main mission is to patrol the Doğanbaba forest area, the Nature Park forest area, and the vicinity of the forest house to prevent forest fires and combat forest crimes.
Not only do they actively patrol these areas, but the Mounted Gendarmerie Team also warns people who have picnics in the forested areas around Salda Lake not to light fires. Additionally, they inform visitors about the environmental and forest-related issues that may constitute a crime.
Meanwhile, Salda Lake has gained even more attention due to its white sand and turquoise blue water. After NASA announced that the lake shares similar features with the Jezero Crater on Mars, its popularity soared. However, due to the misuse of the lake by visitors, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change decided to ban entry to the lake on October 15, 2020.
The ban was a result of visitors digging pits on the lake’s shore and indulging in mud baths, believing that it benefits the skin. This caused the formation of numerous mud pits in the White Islands part of the lake. As a response, the Burdur Governorate also banned mud baths, clay, and mud in the White Islands. Fortunately, after the implementation of the ban, the mud pits on the coast of the White Islands closed by themselves.
The protection of Salda Lake and its surrounding areas is crucial to preserve its natural beauty and prevent any harm caused by human activity. With the assignment of the Mounted Gendarmerie Team and the implementation of the ban, efforts are being made to ensure the long-term conservation of this magnificent natural wonder.
