The Status and Distributions of the Wild Olive (Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris) in Muğla Province and Its Islands under Global Climate Change

Abstract

The olive is an economically important and indispensable species of the Mediterranean basin with remarkable historic and cultural significance. Wild olives constitute a priceless reservoir of genetic diversity which has great value for olive breeding and conservation programs. However, global climate changes especially global warming is expected to threaten olive cultivation in future causing large economic loses in the region. Therefore, knowledge about distribution and abundance of wild olive populations is important to maximize their conservation, safeguard, and exploitation. Muğla province, where the wild olives make up an important part of the vegetation, is one of the main olive producing area in Turkey with many towns and villages dependent on the olive. In this study, our aim is to examine the current geographical distribution and density of wild olive populations in this province and the 82 islands around its coast. The results demonstrated that young olives, which show good adaptation to region, just have started to expand to the higher parts of the Kavaklıdere district. In addition, in most of the islands wild olives are preserved in their undisturbed natural habitats where they exist as small groves or scattered plants. The results of this study provides important insights for the conservation of wild olive genetic resources. The data reported here, are based on actual field data thus the geographic coverage tends to be complete and consistent.