Ovine breeding, rather than bovine breeding, should be carried out in Turkey to save water and fight against climate change, as one of the deepest lakes in the country, Lake Burdur, has dried up by half in over half a century, experts have said.
According to daily Milliyet, which spoke to climate experts, the depth of the lake, which was once 60 meters, is around 18 meters today.
In 50 years, the salty lake’s surface area has dried up in half. The dust caused by the drought is now a threat to the cultivated areas nearby, the report said on Oct. 6.
“Two decades ago, we used to swim in the lake. Now even the dust in the lake has changed the climate of the region,” Öztürk Sarıca, from the local nature organization Lisinia Nature, told the daily.
“The water problem today is all human-driven,” said Sarıca, blaming stock farming and advising sheep and goat breeding in Turkey to save the water.
“Cattle need too much water to feed and grow. Besides they eat trefoils and corns, which are ‘water monsters.’ They consume too much water while growing, too,” said the expert.
“We need an Anatolian way of animal breeding. I mean ovine breeding. We are a water free country. We use our underground and overground waters selfishly,” he added.
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