Adrasan Lake has dried up: Natural habitat has been destroyed.

The lake, located on the coast of Adrasan Bay in the Kumluca district of Antalya, which is home to endemic plant, bird, and fish species, dried up in 19 years. Some parts of the lake were filled and turned into parking lots for tour vehicles, as illegal constructions rose around it. The transformation of the lake into a parking lot over the years was also captured in satellite images. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Gökoğlu from Akdeniz University stated, "Some parts were filled due to people attacking for profit. There was a natural life there, and it was destroyed. The bed of the lake was filled, and everyone was after their own plot of land."

Adrasan, a prominent bay of Antalya located in the Kumluca district, has been invaded by boats anchoring on the coast for some time. Boat owners who organize tours to Suluada, also known as "Turkey's Maldives," by acquiring new boats are also troubled by the boat density, which both tourism professionals and tourists complain about. While the boat crisis remains unresolved, it has been revealed that the significant natural lake in the region has dried up and opened up to construction. Tourism professionals stated that approximately 250 acres of the lake dried up over time, and illegal constructions were built around it, while a part of the lake was turned into a parking lot for tour operators' vehicles.

'THERE WAS A NATURAL LIFE, IT WAS DESTROYED'

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Gökoğlu from the Faculty of Fisheries at Akdeniz University, who mentioned that endemic plant species, various bird species, and fish breeding in the lake have disappeared, expressed his sadness about the situation. Prof. Dr. Gökoğlu stated that the material carried from the land with rainfall gradually filled the lake, saying, "Reed beds and marshes started to form. Previously, snakehead fish, sea bream, sole, sea bass, red mullet, and grouper could enter and exit there. Some parts were filled due to people attacking for profit. There was a natural life there, and it was destroyed. The bed of the lake was filled, and everyone was after their own plot of land."

Prof. Dr. Gökoğlu also mentioned that he conducted research in the region for a project 20 years ago and worked to turn the lake into a natural life park that would prevent the drying up and construction. He said, "We had made efforts to plant trees and create running tracks on the edges. It would have been great if that project had been realized. It would have nourished the lake sea for the marine ecosystem. It wouldn't have been plundered. Birds used to come and nest in the reeds at night. We destroyed everything there. Buildings are being constructed now."

Serkan Konuralp, the President of Adrasan Development Association, who has been involved in tourism in the region for years, also reacted to the destruction of the lake. Konuralp stated that a part of the lake was filled to create a parking space for tour buses and said, "If a different solution had been implemented for tour buses, we wouldn't have lost it. It was a temporary solution for tour buses, but we lost the lake. There is a general problem of construction in Adrasan. The administrators are trying to get through the day with temporary solutions."

'EXPERTS OF ENDEMIC SPECIES USED TO COME FROM EUROPE'

Konuralp, the President, also mentioned that experts studying endemic species from many countries in Europe used to come to the region for the lake and said, "Our guests used to study both the plants and bird species. It was a more valuable tourism. Endemic species are now gone. The bays are beautiful, but we have lost their value due to our uncontrolled use."

Meanwhile, the changes in the lake were reflected in satellite images. In satellite images from 2005, the lake, which attracted attention with its greenery and vitality, maintained its liveliness until 2013. It was observed that the preparation works for the current parking lot were carried out from the part of the lake close to the sea in 2015. In 2019, it was noticed that the area designated as a parking lot was used by tour buses, and the parking area expanded gradually. In the last satellite image taken in January 2024, it was seen that the lake completely dried up, covered with reeds, and its green appearance turned brown. It was also noticed that the parking lot expanded, and tour buses concentrated in the parking area.