Turquoise Coast Environment Fund

25/06/2026

This , we're highlighting our grantee, TURSIYEV's work, transforming an environmental challenge into an opportunity for ecosystem restoration and community resilience.

Invasive species are among the leading drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide. They can alter ecosystems, reduce native biodiversity, affect water quality, and create significant challenges for communities that depend on healthy natural resources.

In Hatay, invasive water hyacinth has spread rapidly across the Asi River and Kırıkhan Gölbaşı Lake, reducing oxygen levels, disrupting aquatic ecosystems, and threatening biodiversity.

TURSIYEV is addressing this challenge through a community-based approach. Rather than treating harvested water hyacinth as waste, the project transforms the plant into handcrafted products, creating a circular model that combines ecosystem restoration with local economic opportunities.

Through this initiative, 50 women are gaining new skills, generating income, and strengthening their economic resilience while contributing to the restoration of freshwater ecosystems.

Through the collaborative efforts of The Conservation Collective, Turkish Philanthropy Funds, Turkiye Mozaik Foundation,, and Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı, we support initiatives that contribute to ecological restoration and community resilience as part of post-earthquake recovery efforts in southern Türkiye, including TURSIYEV's work in Hatay.

With additional support from Fondation de France, the initiative is expanding its women-led production network, enabling more women to participate in sustainable production practices and access new income-generating opportunities.

12/06/2026

Last Wednesday, we gathered in London to celebrate Türkiye’s coastal conservation stories, and we left feeling inspired, hopeful, and deeply grateful.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the Turquoise Coast Fund’s first fundraising event in London. Whether you attended, donated, shared our story, introduced us to new supporters, or simply followed our journey, thank you for being part of this important milestone.

Throughout the evening, we shared stories from Türkiye’s coasts: women in Hatay restoring wetlands while rebuilding livelihoods after the earthquakes, conservationists working to protect the critically endangered Fish Owl, and local organisations and scientists helping communities better understand and care for the sea.

These stories remind us of something we believe deeply: the people closest to environmental challenges are often the people best placed to solve them.

Thank you for believing in the power of local leadership, community action, and conservation driven by the people who know these places best.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the Turquoise Coast Fund Steering Committee, our friends at Conservation Collective, Medcem Global, the Üstün Family, the Köseoğlu Family, and TAKK for their support in bringing this evening to life. We are grateful to everyone who contributed their time, expertise, resources, and enthusiasm to help make our first London fundraising event such a special occasion.

22/04/2026

This 🌎, we’re celebrating grassroots organisations across Türkiye’s Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, wetlands, forests, and mountains—working to protect ecosystems and support communities across these landscapes 💙

13/02/2026

🌊 Our 2024–2025 Annual Report is here!

Over the past year, we continued to support locally led environmental action along Türkiye’s coasts — connecting science, community knowledge, and civil society.

Since 2022, we’ve awarded €428,000 to 42 local projects across Turkiye's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.

From biodiversity and sustainable food systems to empowering local NGOs — these locally led initiatives are creating long-term stewardship of coastal and marine ecosystems along Türkiye's turquoise coasts.

📘 Read the full report here:https://turquoisecoastenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/TCEF-Annual-Report-compressed.pdf

05/02/2026

🌿 tarafından 3–4 Şubat tarihlerinde İstanbul’da düzenlenen deSTeK işleri buluşmasına, hibe desteği sağladığımız sivil toplum kuruluşlarının temsilcileriyle birlikte katıldık.

İki gün boyunca, sivil toplumun dönüşümünü; krizler karşısında finansal ve kurumsal dayanıklılığı ile kurumlar arası iş birliği olanaklarını birlikte ele aldık, deneyim paylaştık.
✨ Bu buluşma, sivil toplumun birbirinden öğrenerek; dayanışma ve bağlantılar aracılığıyla güçlenmesinin ne kadar kıymetli olduğunu bir kez daha hatırlattı.
Bu buluşma için STDV ekibine, ayrıca TCEF ekibi ve fon verdiğimiz kurumların konaklama ve seyahat giderlerini destekleyen ekibine teşekkür ederiz.
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🌿 We took part in the deSTeK işleri gathering organised by in Istanbul on 3–4 February, together with representatives of the civil society organisations we support through our grant programme.

Over two days, we explored the transformation of civil society; financial and institutional resilience in the face of crises; and opportunities for inter-organisational collaboration, while sharing experiences and knowledge.

✨ The gathering once again highlighted how important it is for civil society to grow stronger through peer learning, solidarity, and meaningful connections.

We thank the for bringing this gathering together, and the for supporting the travel and accommodation costs of the TCEF team and our grantee organisations.

28/01/2026

🌿 Science for Resilient Islands, Knowledge for the Future 🌍

Island ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to climate change and wildfires—but they also hold important insights into resilience and recovery.

Our grantee partner, examined how vegetation in Bozcaada and Gökçeada responds to climate and fire stress, generating science-based insights to guide restoration and conservation planning.

🛰️ By combining satellite data, fieldwork, and climate modelling, they mapped vegetation mosaics, assessed species’ resilience and recovery capacity, and developed future scenarios up to 2100.

📘 Read the full interview via the in bio / on our website.

07/01/2026

Danışma Kurulu üyelerimizden Prof. Dr. Sedat Gündoğdu, Türkiye’de plastik ve mikroplastik kirliliğini görünür kılan öncü araştırmalarıyla tanınıyor.

Bu söyleşide, mikroplastik kirliliğin ekosistemler, halk sağlığı ve adaletle nasıl iç içe geçtiğini; atıksız bir geleceğin ise bilim, politika ve toplumun ortak çabasıyla mümkün olabileceğini konuşuyoruz.

Prof. Dr. Sedat Gündoğdu Türkiye’nin plastik üretimi ve tüketimi konusunda kritik bir dönemeçte olduğunu vurgularken, dönüşümü hızlandırabilecek somut adımları ve politika değişimlerini de paylaşıyor.

Bu içerik, TCEF’in danışma kurulu üyeleriyle hazırladığı Deniz Serisi kapsamında hazırlanmıştır. Seri, Türkiye’nin kıyı ve deniz ekosistemleri üzerine çalışan uzmanların deneyimlerini görünür kılarak bilimi, politikayı ve toplum temelli yaklaşımları bir araya getirmeyi amaçlıyor.

🔗Röportajın tamamını okumak için: https://turquoisecoastenvironment.org/tcef-deniz-serisi-atiksiz-bir-gelecege-dogru/

16/12/2025

In the clear waters off Bozcaada, Mediterranean pillow corals form one of Türkiye’s most precious marine habitats.

Building on this natural wonder, the Protecting Bozcaada’s Coral Reefs project, led by Sosyal İklim Derneği documents the biodiversity of Cladocora caespitosa reefs and fosters local ownership for their protection.

With the support of Prof. Barış Özalp and Bozcaada Municipality, the research team conducts biodiversity monitoring dives and places protection buoys around sensitive reef areas.

Inspired by the knowledge emerging from this fieldwork, Bozcaada Gathering Initiative transforms it into shared cultural experiences — including the immersive “Sounds of Reefs” exhibition and clay workshops for children, where learning, creativity, and care for the sea grow together.

This initiative weaves science, art, and community into one story. It turns Bozcaada’s reefs into a living classroom for conservation 💙

The Conservation Collective
Turkiye Mozaik Foundation
Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı
Sosyal İklim Derneği

17/10/2025

⚖️ Law for Nature, Protection for Our Coasts 🌊

Our grantee, Hukuk, Doğa ve Toplum Vakfı, is using law as a powerful tool to protect rights, nature, and communities in Türkiye.
Workshops in İzmir and Balıkesir, along with a field camp in Köyceğiz, gave participants hands-on experience — connecting legal knowledge with the living ecosystems they aim to protect.

🏕️ Camping in the Dalyan wetlands, observing ecosystems with experts, and discussing legal cases in nature, participants discovered firsthand why legal advocacy matters for protecting coasts and seas.

📈 This grant strengthened networks, increased visibility, and opened the door to new partnerships — showing how law, ecology, and community can come together for lasting impact.

🌍 Building on this success, Hukuk, Doğa ve Toplum Vakfı will soon implement another project through our Earthquake Region Fund — a collaborative initiative between The Conservation Collective, Turkiye Mozaik Foundation, Turkish Philanthropy Funds and Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı — strengthening civil society’s legal and advocacy capacity in Hatay, Adana, and Mersin.

🔗 Read our full interview with HUDOTO to learn more about how legal advocacy is shaping coastal protection in Türkiye: https://turquoisecoastenvironment.org/law-for-nature-strengthening-coastal-and-marine-protection/

15/10/2025