What did we do ?

      In our country one of the factors of decreasing the ecological balance is corruption of biological species. Invader species is one of the most significant factors. Invasive organisms negatively affect existing plants, animals or humans after being introduced to the environment and cause damages. An animal that evolved in one place can be invasive in another if it has enough food.

      Pinus nigra, the European black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across southern Mediterranean Europe from Spain to the Crimea, in Asia Minor and on Corsica/Cyprus. Pinus nigra is an endemic species in Middle Anatolian Region of Turkey. It is especially located in the North part of Ankara. The main Pinus nigra forests are in the Kızılcahamam Region.

      There are some invader insect species which attacks to Pinus nigra trees in Kızılcahamam forests.

      What we want to investigate is if there are any manuplative ways to solve the invader species problems in Pinus nigra trees. Our second aim is informing others about biodiversity as a global issue. If invaders increase in number, endemic species are affected and biodiversity will be in danger.

For this purpose the team,
• Organized a seminar for their schoolmates and made presentations
• The teachers integrated invader species and their roles in danger of biodiversity in their lesson plans
• Prepared posters and bulletin boards to inform others about the problems
• Prepared discussion boards for biological challenge for this specific problem.
• Intervieved their geography and biology teachers.
• Offer the alternative ways of biological challenge to protect Pinus nigra from invader species and biodiversity