Right now, Greece and Turkey are being devastated by wildfires spreading at an unprecedented rate. The unfolding crisis needs critical attention, and is rooted in the reality of life on a warming planet. Our hearts go out to the families and communities directly affected.
Greece and Turkey are home to species that don’t live anywhere else on our planet. Roughly a fifth of Greece’s 36,000 species are only found in Greece and nowhere else in the world. The fires are threatening endangered golden Jackals as well as hares, foxes, tortoises and many more. The badly hit Turkish province of Antalya is home to over 11,000 species, 121 of which are endangered.
As the fires continue to blaze, the rescue efforts are critical. You can help WWF get emergency funds to stop the fires, care for injured wildlife and prevent more devastation.
Turkey is experiencing some of the worst fires in its history. Recent wildfires have hit more than 50 provinces. An estimated 283,204 hectares have burned so far this year, which is 25x more than average.
In Greece, 110,000 hectares of forests and agri-forest are estimated to have burned - over 12x more than in an average year.
Your generous donations can help the wildlife and forests in time.
Turkey's forests, which produce 42 million tons of oxygen per year, hold approximately 90 million tons of carbon. And forests in Greece are equally life-sustaining resources. Forests in both these countries protect our soil and water, and host millions of creatures, and are a source of life for hundreds of millions of people.
But with more than 2,000 forest fires occurring every year since 1990, destroying an average of 10,000 hectares of land, we become more vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis.
We must band together if we are to protect our planet from the worst effects of the climate crisis and nature loss. If we fail to act, extreme weather will become the norm, with deadly consequences for people and the planet.
Although the focus of our work right now is on stopping fires and rescuing wildlife, we know this has also been a devastating time for many people in Turkey and Greece. Our hearts go out to all the families and communities directly affected by the wildfires.
We would also like to recognize the heroic efforts of the firefighters, volunteers and wildlife carers who have worked tirelessly on the frontline, as well as the amazing work of the many organizations helping those in desperate need.
