Hayata +

6th Term Projects

Projects Supported in the Period 2010-2011

For a Cleaner Hazar

Organization: Anatolian Cooperative for the Protection of Nature and Culture (AnaDOKU)
Province: Elazığ/Hazar Lake Basin
Subject: Water (Hazar Lake)
Partners/Supporting organizations: Association for the Protection of the Hazar Lake, Elazığ Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Elazığ Provincial Directorate of Environment and Forestry, Gezin Municipality, Fırat University

Hazar Lake, a B category Ramsar area with its significant nature, flora and bird species, contains 4 endemic plant species and 3 indigenous fish species that are on the verge of extinction. The Hazar Lake Management Plan which was initiated by the AnaDOKU Cooperative jointly with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2009 and meetings held with stakeholders have pointed to pollution arising from tourism and especially from camping tourism as one of the main issues of the lake. The project aims to reduce the damages of camping tourism on the ecological areas on the shore of the Hazar Lake by ensuring an ecologically sound camping tourism in the region.

Let the Tortum Cascade;Let Nature be Restored

Organization: Atatürk University Community Volunteers' Club (AÜ Tog)
Province: Erzurum/Tortum, Uzundere
Subject: Water (Tortum Waterfall)
Partners/Supporting organizations: Uzundere Municipality, Uzundere District Governorship, Uzundere Nature Youth and Sports Club Association, Çağlayan Science and Culture Association

Tortum waterfall constitutes the western end of the Caucasian Ecological Area which was declared as one of the 200 ecologically sensitive regions of the world by Conservation International in 2000. The Atatürk University Community Volunteers' Club is taking action to protect the Tortum waterfall which is under risk of losing its water as a result of a faulty hydroelectric power plant nearby. The project aims to promote ecological sustainability of the region by initiating ecological tourism activities, by mobilizing local administrations, public and non-governmental organizations and by raising awareness of the public on the issue on a local and international level.

Breath to Country, Wealth to Farmers

Organization: Boztaş Cooperative for Agricultural Development
Province: Kırklareli/Demirköy
Subject: Forest (Yıldız Mountains)
Partners/Supporting organizations: Demirköy Directorate of Forestry, Kırklareli Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, Demirköy District Directorate of Agriculture, Kırklareli Provincial Directorate of Environment and Forestry

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry emphasizes the importance of local people's participation in the protection of the forest on the Yıldız Mountains which is considered a biosphere reserve. The project aims to increase forest villagers' capacity to collect, transport, preserve and market natural mushrooms, thus creating an alternative source of livelihood and ensuring that the forest is protected in a sustainable way by decreasing human pressure on it.

Sweetgum Revival

Organization: Nature Conservation Centre
Province: Muğla/Köyceğiz
Subject: Forest (Endemic Oriental Sweetgum Forest)
Partners/Supporting organizations: Köyceğiz Municipality, Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas, Köyceğiz Directorate of Forestry

Oriental Sweetgum trees which could only constitute a forest in Köyceğiz in the entire world covered an area of 6000 hectares in the 1960s but today they survive only on an area of 1000 hectares due to illegal deforestations. The project aims to ensure the ecological integrity of the sweetgum forest by creating forest corridors between dispersed forest segments and to strengthen local community's will to protect the forest by introducing more eco-friendly alternatives of livelihood like eco-tourism.

Environmentally Friendly Earth Worms

Organization: Aegean University Faculty of Agriculture, Project Group
Province: Izmir/Menemen
Subject: Water/Agriculture (Gediz Basin) Partners/Supporting organizations: Aegean Association, Menemen Chamber of Agriculture

The project aims to ensure the wider use of vermicompost, an organic type of fertilizer, in order to solve the pollution problem of water and soil in the Gediz Basin due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture. Vermicompost prevents the pollution caused in the soil and water by chemical fertilizers and decreases the water usage in irrigation up to 40 - 60% by increasing the organic content and the water-retention capacity of the soil. The project aims to introduce the technique of vermicompost to the farmers in the district of Menemen with demonstrative practices in pilot lands, thereby decreasing the chemical pollution in the Gediz River.

Bird Songs in Halep Pine Forests

Organization: Turkish Bird Research Society
Province: Adana/Yumurtalık
Subject: Forest (Halep Pine Forest)
Partners/Supporting organizations: Adana Regional Directorate of Forestry, Adana Provincial Directorate of Environment and Forestry, Deveciuşağı Nature Protection and Development Association, Adana Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports

The Halep Pine Forest, situated in the Yumurtalık Lagunes, contains 6 species of plants and many species of animals that are of protection priority. The Halep Pine Forest faces the threat posed by pine processionary caterpillars, which prevent pine trees from growing by consuming their offshoots. The project aims to protect the Halep Pine Forest by introducing biological measures like increasing reproductive success of songbirds that are natural consumers of the Halep pine trees to combat verminous pine processionary caterpillars.

5th Term Projects

The Mediterranean Flourishes Once Again in Artvin (Artvin)
The project aims to improve the ruined Mediterranean vegetation of Yusufeli, an area situated in the Caucasus Ecological Region, one of 25 hot spots of the world, and displaying the characteristics of a Mediterranean climate.

Tomorrow’s Sweetgum Forests (Muğla-Köyceğiz)
This project aims to draw attention to the plight of the sweetgum forests that, out of the whole world, are found only in Southwest Anatolia. These beautiful and unique trees are gradually disappearing due to lack of protection and care, and the projects hopes to further expand and develop the sweet gum forests of Muğla-Köyceğiz.

The Deepest Face of the Sea (Adana)
The project aims to establish the type, amounts, distribution and sources of the solid waste in the Iskenderun Bay, a body of water that is of great importance from a touristic point of view, thereby identifying the risks arising from solid waste in and around the Iskenderun Bay and developing measures to prevent these risks.

An Oasis in the Steppes; the Seyfe Lake (Kırşehir)
The project aims to promote on national and international platforms the natural wealth of Kırşehir's Seyfe Lake, one of the most important wetlands of Turkey, to achieve the wider implementation of sustainable ecotourism activities in and around the Seyfe Lake and to implement the Seyfe Lake Action Plan prepared in 2009, within the framework of the "Seyfe Dry Land Becomes a Lake" project.

Don't Let the Bakırçay River (Copper River) Turn into a Coal River (Manisa)
The project aims to contribute to the cleaning of the Bakırçay River, which is polluted because of intensive industrial activities taking place in the Soma Basin, by making it possible for waste waters emitted by coal washing establishments to be purified before they join the Bakırçay River.

Solar Harvest (Bursa)
The project aims to turn the Four Seasons Park in Bursa into a park where all lighting equipment works on solar power, thereby creating a model for the use of renewable energy resources in the public sphere.

Good Agriculture for a Clean Eğirdir (Isparta-Eğirdir)
The project aims to encourage apple farmers in the Eğirdir water basin to adopt agricultural practices that minimize harm to the environment and to health, in order to reduce agricultural pollution in Eğirdir Lake, Turkey's second largest fresh water lake.

Productive Agriculture for a Clean Tigris (Diyarbakır)
The project aims to encourage farmers in five villages within the province of Diyarbakır to conduct plowing and irrigation activities parallel to the river, via exemplary field plowing and training programs, in order to reduce the agricultural pollution of the River Dicle (Tigris), which has been home to numerous civilizations over the centuries.

4th Term Projects

Seyfe Dry Land Becomes a Lake (Kırşehir)
Seyfe Lake of Kırşehir ranks as one of Turkey's 12 wetlands of global importance. During the past decade, the lake has gradually begun to disappear. The project has informed the public about the importance and the problems of the lake, which has been forgotten since it lost many of its natural features. The Seyfe Lake Action Plan, prepared as part of the Project, has placed the lake in the agenda of the Ministry of the Environment and Forests.

One Drop Thousand Crops Everywhere (Balıkesir)
This project developed a model to encourage farmers to change their irrigation methods as a way of conserving water resources. Under the leadership of this program, the number of farmers in Balıkesir using the drip irrigation method increased 200 fold within two years, rising from 5 to 1000. The consultation network established to ease the farmers' transition to the drip irrigation method has now reached 1500 farmers.

Clean Gediz Pace by Pace (Izmir, Manisa, Uşak, Kütahya)
The Gediz Basin ranks as one of the world's seven most fertile river basins. To draw attention to the pollution of the Gediz River, which is the most important water source in the basin, the project has given presentations to almost 1000 students in over 20 schools and has reached 9000 people with its photograph exhibitions and the stands it set up on environmental days. The project events were held in four provinces of the basin and have managed to enroll 3000 people, among whom governors, mayors and officials from the departments of environment and forests as 'Clean Gediz' volunteers.

100% Cycle (Bursa)
The aim of this project was to create practices that would facilitate the use of solar energy in our daily lives. A model area was established which consisted of a house and a greenhouse using solar energy for heating and electricity. To date, almost 1200 people have visited the Cycling House and Greenhouse. The Cycling House has enabled 100 persons to gain first-hand experience in the use of solar energy.

Manyas Demands its Clean Water Back (Balıkesir-Bandırma)
Heading the list of Turkey's lakes of international acclaim and known as a Bird Paradise, Manyas Lake is now battling with pollution. This project has drawn attention to the pollution of Manyas Lake and has succeeded in bringing together a group of organizations and individuals that extends from farmers to industrialists, from fishermen to municipalities and provincial environmental departments and has prepared an emergency action plan.

Waste Masterpieces (Mardin)
This project aimed to attract attention to Mardin's solid waste problem by encouraging the recycling of solid waste in a creative manner. Under the leadership of a sculptor, primary school students and residents of Mardin transformed the solid waste items, which were collected and separated throughout the project, into "Waste Masterpieces." These recycled works of art were then exhibited in the Mardin Museum.


	Top