Kaçkar Mountains Petition

[Pete Eeles]

Hi all,

UK Butterflies is sponsoring (i.e. building and paying for) the "Save Kaçkars" website at:

http://www.savekackars.com

Please sign the petition if you agree! This initiative will be announced on the home page and the newsletter within the next week or so - just wanted to give you early visibility. This particular concern came up at the BC Symposium and I think it's fair to say that all attendees were horrified at the developments taking place in this hotspot of international biodiversity.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Charles Nicol]

I have signed up...let's hope that it is not too late for this unique wildlife paradise

Charles

[Dave McCormick]

I signed also, hope that place will be ok

[Denise]

I've signed too, but with my initial (D instead of Denise) and my surname of course, as Turkey holds little regard for the thoughts and wishes of the fairer sex.
Don't they realise that they have a "pot of gold" there and they should encourage eco-tourism, which would make them a lot of money?

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks to all who have signed. I'd really appreciate it if others would also sign - the list is pathetically small at the mo and every signature counts!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Neil Jones]

Thanks to all who have signed. I'd really appreciate it if others would also sign - the list is pathetically small at the mo and every signature counts!

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete, congratulations on doing this! It is an excellent idea. (I have of course signed.)
Over the years I have done a few sites like this myself about the Palosverdes Blue, arguably the world's rarest butterfly as it was rediscovered on a single site
in urban Los Angeles after the local council vandalised the last piece of habitat for a very ordinary baseball park. See my pictures here
http://www.wildlifewebsite.com/butterfl ... -blue.html
and the Miami Blue a rare Florida species, in collaboration with people in the USA.

What you really need to do is to take it beyond the confines of this forum.
I am on a load of international email lists for butterflies and on a few general conservation minded ones where people will respond. Give me the nod and I'd be happy to spread the word. We need people to blog on it etc. too.
Would it be useful to have the text in other European Languages too?

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Neil - yes, please spread the word since, at some point, this is going to be taken to the government of Turkey!

Yes - we may well translate the text into other languages - especially Turkish!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Lee Hurrell]

All signed. That looks like a wonderful habitat, I hope this can make a difference.

Denise has a good shout, eco-tourism should be encouraged to the Turkish government. Would the firms that offer European butterfly trips that have been linked to from UKB or that members have used in the past be able to add weight to the petition?

Cheers

Lee

[Pete Eeles]

Not sure if that would equal the energy savings from building the hydroelectic dams - but I'll ask Martin Warren for his thoughts (we're meeting on Thursday).

Cheers,

- Pete

[Neil Jones]

Not sure if that would equal the energy savings from building the hydroelectic dams - but I'll ask Martin Warren for his thoughts (we're meeting on Thursday).

Cheers,

- Pete

I am puzzled by this. Could you clarify what the "that" is you are referring to in your first sentence?

[Pete Eeles]

"that" = "funding from eco-tourism".

Cheers,

- Pete

[Neil Jones]

Butterfly Conservation have issued a press release on this.

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/a ... ation.html

[Neil Jones]

DE Vlinderstichting ( Dutch Butterfly Conservation) have also released the story

http://www.vlinderstichting.nl/actueel. ... euwsid=229
It also it seems has been in the Dutch press as a result

http://www.nieuwsbank.nl/inp/2010/04/01/R080.htm

[Paul]

Signed up. huge negative humankind implications.

[Sylvie_h]

Hi Pete,

I have signed up and have forwarded the link to some relatives in Germany, France and a friend in Turkey. So hopefully, this petition will travel a bit.
I think if people do the same, then there is a chance of increasing the amount of signatures.
Sylvie

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks Sylvie - good idea!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Lee Hurrell]

If anyone's on facebook or twitter etc they could forward?

Cheers

Lee