SHOTLIST: AKSARAY, TÜRKİYE (OCT. 2, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF DROUGHT IN LAKE TUZ AKSARAY, TÜRKİYE - OCT. 2: Severe drought in Lake Tuz, located at the intersection of Ankara, Konya and Aksaray provinces in central Türkiye, is shrinking the country’s second-largest lake and threatening its biodiversity, according to recent research. The lake, one of Türkiye’s most important wetlands for biological diversity, has been rapidly drying due to reduced rainfall and the impacts of climate change. Home to thousands of birds, including flamingos, and numerous salt-tolerant endemic plants, the shrinking waters are worsening ecological pressure. Latest surveys show that only about 9,000 hectares of the lake currently remain filled with water. The special environmental protection area in Lake Tuz, which hosts the largest natural breeding colony of flamingos in the world, is home to many bird species for a breeding, wintering, and stopover area. The western part of the lake, in particular, is known as an important habitat for birds.