Biopiracy and Biological Smuggling in Türkiye (2014–2026)

An endemic flower that grows nowhere else on Earth. A sack of bulbs traded for the price of a lamb. And those bulbs crossing a border to be patented in another country's laboratory. It may sound distant — but for Türkiye it is a very real threat.

Two terms matter. Biological smuggling is the illegal physical removal of a country's plants, animals and genetic resources across its borders. Biopiracy is the unauthorised patenting and commercial appropriation of genetic resources or traditional knowledge. The first is an act of taking; the second, an act of claiming.

In my review article published in the Türkiye Teknik Bilimler ve İnovasyon Dergisi, I analyse these activities targeting Türkiye's biodiversity through national and international cases between 2014 and 2026 — documented seizures, the chronological rise of penalties, and comparisons with Kenya, Peru and Ethiopia.

Why is Türkiye such a target? Sitting at the intersection of three phytogeographical regions, it is one of the world's most important genetic-resource centres — and that wealth attracts not only scientific interest but illegal activity.

Are the penalties deterrent? The fine for picking an endemic species rose from 42,479 TL (2017) to 699,245 TL (2026) — roughly a 16-fold increase, with habitat-destruction fines reaching 3.4 million TL. Yet Türkiye still relies on administrative fines: there is no biological-smuggling offence in the Penal Code and no ratification of the Nagoya Protocol — unlike New Zealand, Australia or South Africa, where prison sentences of 2 to 10 years apply.

The conclusion is clear: penalties alone are not enough. Deterrent penalties, international cooperation and public awareness must come together.

This page is a summary of the author's peer-reviewed article (published in English). The full Turkish text and the original article are available via the links above.