Enviro News Asia, Ankara — Türkiye plans to release 51,000 partridges and pheasants into the wild this year to strengthen biodiversity and support biological control efforts against ticks and the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı said the government aims to introduce 39,250 partridges and 11,750 pheasants across 156 locations in 62 provinces. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to restore ecological balance, enhance wildlife populations, and reduce the impact of agricultural pests through natural means.
Yumaklı said the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP) has completed preparations for this year’s releases. The agency breeds partridges at stations in Afyonkarahisar, Kahramanmaraş, Yozgat, Gaziantep, and Malatya, while pheasants are raised in Samsun, Istanbul, and Gümüşhane.
According to the minister, the birds contribute to biological pest control through their natural feeding behavior. Partridges help reduce tick populations, while pheasants prey on the brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive species that has caused significant agricultural damage in the Black Sea region.
Yumaklı said DKMP released 36,250 partridges and 9,000 pheasants into the wild in 2025. Over the past decade, the agency has introduced nearly one million birds, including around 750,000 partridges and 250,000 pheasants, to support ecosystem restoration and strengthen wildlife populations.
The ministry conducted field surveys, habitat assessments, and technical studies before selecting release sites. Authorities considered factors such as habitat suitability, food and water availability, shelter conditions, predator pressure, human activities, and monitoring data from previous years.
The ministry plans to release red-legged partridges at 116 sites in 50 provinces, pheasants at 34 sites in 16 provinces, and chukar partridges at six sites in five provinces.
Yumaklı said authorities will treat partridges against tick infestations before releasing them, while pheasants will mainly be introduced in Black Sea provinces to help control brown marmorated stink bug populations.
He added that all release areas will remain closed to hunting for three years to allow bird populations to establish themselves and ensure the long-term sustainability of wildlife resources.
“Our goal is to protect and improve wildlife, promote responsible and planned use of these resources, and pass them on to future generations through a sustainable management approach,” Yumaklı said. (*)
