The Munzur Valley National Park (Turkish: Munzur Vadisi Milli Parkı) was created on December 21, 1971. It is the largest and most diverse national park in Turkey. The park is located in the Munzur Valley of the Munzur Mountain Range within Tunceli Province in eastern Anatolia.

This park is part of the Eastern Anatolian deciduous forests ecoregion and has many types of plants. It was created to protect the area's wildlife and natural beauty.

The protected area is managed by the Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks (Turkish: Doğa Koruma ve Milli Parklar Genel Müdürlüğü) under the Ministry of Environment and Forest. Even outside the managed area, the landscape remains well-preserved. This may be because the Alevi people who live in the region respect nature as part of their religious beliefs.

Geography

The national park is located 8 kilometers (5.0 miles) northwest of the city center of Tunceli and 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the provincial capital, near the town of Ovacık. It stretches along the Munzur Valley toward the Munzur Mountains, which reach an elevation of 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) above sea level in the north. The park covers an area of 420 square kilometers (160 square miles).

Geology

The Munzur Mountains, located between the Karasu and Murat valleys, are made up of sedimentary, volcanic, and intrusive rocks that have changed due to heat and pressure. The mountain range is separated by the streams Mercan and Munzur.

There are several caves within the national park. Because they haven’t been studied thoroughly, there is a risk that unknown species could disappear before they are discovered. The presence of many travertines and hot springs shows that Tunceli has a lot of potential for using geothermal energy.

Glacial lakes above 1,600 meters in the Mercan Valley, springs in the Ovacık Plain, canyons, and waterfalls in the valleys add to the natural beauty of the national park. Lake Karagöl is one of the main glacial lakes in the Munzur Mountains.

Climate

The climate of the region is affected by a continental climate, which brings very cold winters and heavy snow. In the Munzur Valley, the amount of rain and snow each year changes a lot and is between 600 to 1,000 mm (about 24 to 39 inches).

Ecosystem

The Munzur Valley National Park is home to 1,518 registered plant species. Of these, 43 are found only in the national park, and 227 are found only in Turkey. Plants such as bellflower, Hypericum, Munzur thyme, Munzur buttercups, mountain tea, and Mt. Munzur tansy are unique to the national park.

Common trees in the park, which grow in mixed forests, include elm, ash, plane tree, grapewine, beech, oak, aspen, populus, willow, Valonia oak, Norway maple, black alder, birch, wild apple, wild pear, walnut, wild hazelnut, and cedar. Birch is a tree that grows along the banks of the Munzur River, about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) south of Ovacık town. Oak is the most common tree in the park, covering non-rocky hills and slopes.

Wild flowering plants commonly found in the park include tulip, hyacinth, daffodil, common snowdrop, viola, German chamomile, Mexican tea, milk-vetch, and wild thyme.

The natural environment of the Munzur Valley National Park provides a suitable habitat for wildlife. Examples of the park’s unique animal life include several types of trout in the Munzur and Mercan rivers, two wild goat subspecies—chamois and bezoar ibex—and the gamebird Caspian snowcock.

An area in the Munzur River valley is set aside for the protection and breeding of various game animals. The park and its surroundings are home to many animals hunted for food or sport. Important wildlife in the area include woolly dormouse, gray wolf, fox, marten, brown bear, wildcat, Eurasian lynx, European otter, European badger, chamois, wild goat, squirrel, hare, wild boar, and hedgehog.

The brown bear, which lives in rock shelters, is one of the most important large mammals in the park’s wildlife. Other large mammals in the region include lynx, wild boar, and gray wolf, which live in rocky areas within the forests.

The park has a wide variety of bird species. Some birds of prey that live in the area include eagle, vulture, falcon, common buzzard, hawk, kestrel, kite, and the rare golden eagle. Nocturnal birds such as Eurasian eagle-owl, owl, and bat are also common in the region.

Other bird species in the park include partridge, grey partridge, great bustard, little bustard, crane, common quail, Eurasian woodcock, turtle dove, common wood pigeon, rock pigeon, some duck species, and rarely seen geese.

Threatened bird species that are commonly found in the national park include black stork, bearded vulture, Egyptian vulture, griffon vulture, Caspian snowcock, short-toed eagle, golden eagle, long-legged buzzard, eastern imperial eagle, booted eagle, Radde's accentor, Alpine accentor, wallcreeper, Alpine chough, and white-winged snowfinch.

Trout, which live in the streams of the national park, are an important economic resource for the region. Brown trout used to live in the valley.

Recreation

Because the region has extreme weather, the best time to visit the national park is from June 15 to August 27. The park provides many outdoor and water activities, such as rafting, climbing mountains, camping, having picnics, fishing, and hiking.

The northern part of Mercan Valley is easiest for following trails and hiking, while the southern part is better for camping and picnicking because there are many trees there.

Transportation

The entrance to Munzur Valley National Park can be reached by an asphalt road from the city center of Tunceli, which goes to Ovacık along the Munzur River. To travel to Tunceli, you must use roads. One route is from Elazığ, which is 133 kilometers (83 miles) away, via road number D.885. Another route is from Erzincan, located 146 kilometers (91 miles) away, by traveling on road numbers D.100 (E80) and then D.885. Both Elazığ and Erzincan have airports that offer domestic flights to the international airports in Istanbul and Ankara.

Dams

In 1985, the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) started building a dam with a power plant that uses water to make electricity on the Mercan River. The dam was completed in 2003 and produces 20 megawatts of power. In 2008, the power plant was sold to a private company called Zorlu Holding for a period of 30 years. An investigation after the sale found that the dam was built inside the boundaries of a national park.

In Tunceli, two dams were built, and plans are in place to build more dams. Once these dams are finished, a large part of the national park will be flooded by the water stored in the reservoirs. The plans for the dams are already completed. According to Turkish laws that protect forests and national parks, building dams in these areas is against the law.

The World Wildlife Fund has asked for more protection of the national park’s special ecosystem, which could be harmed by the planned projects.