Village Graveyards, an Important Place of Refuge of Biological Richness

Abstract

The graveyards are places which the dead people are buried, especially in monotheistic religions. The main function of the graveyards is, to provide the circulation of dead bodies to the ground without jeopardizing the public health. Because of this reason, these places which are assigned to dead people, have special have been sheltered.The village graveyards in Anatolia are surrounded as a necessity of their function; so they are protected against external factors and animals. One of the results of this application; the village graveyards at the most of Anatolia has become a natural sanctuary for many wild plant species since they keep the natural vegetation. It is determined in the field studies that the graveyards in some regions are the living areas with many wild species which are slowly fading, especially for geophytes. This study has been prepared to attract attention to this property of old village graveyards of Anatolia. In the late years, in the Anatolia, especially in the Eastern Anatolia Region, the migration from village to cities has increased. The graveyards in the empty or population decreasing old villages are becoming the grazing areas of the animals and they are being damaged. The old village graveyards should be considered as a source of reserve area or ex-situ conservation area and they should be considered in respect of how to evaluate in a best way and how to utilize from these areas. Precautions should be taken to protect these areas during processing of scientific studies and making decisions intended to the conclusion about these subjects. © 2016, Centenary University. All rights reserved.