were designated as the "Lara protected 
region" by the Cypriot authorities in 
July 1989. The beaches are important 
for thebreeding of Green Turtle Chelonia 
mydas and Loggerhead Turtle Caretta 
caretta. 
Yemen 
Report on biodiversity 
BirdLife International has recently 
conducted the first ever survey of 
Yemen's biodiversity and made 
recommendations for its conservation. 
Over 3,000 plant species have been 
recorded in the country. Some 350 bird 
species have been recorded, of which 
13 are endemic to southwest Arabia 
and five are globally threatened. 
While Yemen has only a small area of 
'wilderness', the traditional methods 
of land management, especially the 
extensive terracing of many 
escarpments and low-intensity 
agriculture, has allowed the 
biodiversity and local communities to 
survive side by side. Modern 
developments in agriculture and land 
use are now threatening this balance. 
The report gives recommendations for 
environmental policy as well as 
proposing specific field initiatives. The 
challenge is to work with the 
Government and people of Yemen to 
maintain the diversity of biological 
resources for the benefit of people and 
the environment. The full results of the 
survey are published as ICBP Study 
Report No. 52. It is available from 
BirdLife International, Wellbrook 
Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 
ONA, UK. Price: £5.00. 
Turkey 
White-headed Ducks at Burdur 
A preliminary report on the winter 
ecology of the White-headed Duck 
Oxyura leucocephala at Lake Burdur has 
revealed the extent of illegal shooting. 
Possibly 1,000 White-headed Ducks 
were shot out of a total less than 4,000 
wintering on this, the world's most 
important winter site for the species. 
Wildfowling at the lake is prohibited 
for two years out of three - last winter 
was the third, and even protected 
species were shot in huge numbers. 
Many of the hunters were apparently 
unaware of the White-headed Duck's 
protected status, and many reported 
the species to be easily shot. 
The researchers, from the Wildfowl and 
Wetlands Trust, DHKD and Burdur 
Municipality, also found that industrial 
pollution and development pressures 
on the lake were high. In their full 
report, to be published shortly, the 
researchers will recommend action to 
safeguard the lake and its important 
wildfowl populations. 
DHKD protects wild bulbs 
DHKD is concerned with wildlife in 
general, not just birds, and is now 
involved in a major project with the 
Flora and Fauna Preservation Society 
(UK) to protect Turkey's valuable wild 
bulbs from over-collection. The project 
has three main aims: to remove the 
pressures from wild populations of 
bulbs in Turkey by promoting village- 
based cultivation of threatened species; 
to secure a safe and secure income for 
those involved in cultivation; and to 
supply high-quality bulbs for 
horticulture. Success will mean that 
bulbs like Snowdrops Galanthus sold 
throughout Europe, North America 
and Japan under the label 'Grown in 
Holland' are less likely to have been 
taken from the wild in Turkey. We 
wish DHKD success with the project. 
Publications 
The latest issue of The Phoenix reports 
new breeding species for Arabia. These 
include the Shoveler Anas clypeata, 
breeding in the early summers of 1988- 
1990 on desert sewage lagoons among 
