Conservation of the caves in Turkish Law

There is no direct legal arrangements in Turkish Law System for the conservation of the natural caves which are thought to be nearly 40.000. The caves can not be protected effectively although they benefit from the conservation statues in national and international legal arrangements if they are in these special protected areas and because of the legalloophole, they come to harm continuously . The important nature areas, culture and nature assets benefit from different conservation statues with the national and international legal arrangements. There are conservation statues in domestic law with the Culture and Nature Assets Act, National Parks Act, Forest Act, Land Hunt Act, Fishery Products Act and releated regulations; and there are some conservation statues take their places in domestic law with the conventions which are also signed by Turkey: The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention), The Convention Of Wetlands (Ramsar Convention), Protecting The Mediterranean Sea Convention (Barcelona Convention), Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Convention. Unfortunately, these national and international legal arrangements can only provide an indirect conservation for the caves. Because of the insufficiency of legal arrangements and authorized agencies for the conservation of the caves in Turkish lands, there is an urgent need for a ?Cave Conservation Act?.