Turquoise Coast Environment Fund

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Turquoise Coast Environment Fund

We provide grants for local grassroots to help protecting our nature and biodiversity, marine and coastal resources in Turkey

30/09/2026

TCF Deniz Serisi'nin dördüncü konuğu, Danışma Kurulu üyemiz Prof. Dr. Herdem Aslan 🌊

Herdem Aslan Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi'nde öğretim üyesi ve Ankara Üniversitesi Deniz Hukuku Araştırma Merkezi'nde (DEHUKAM) araştırmacı olarak çalışıyor.

Bu röportajda, Gökçeada ve Çanakkale Boğazı'ndaki uzun soluklu saha çalışmalarından yola çıkarak denizi izlemenin neden bu kadar önemli olduğunu konuştuk.

Türkiye'nin deniz izleme kapasitesini AB standartlarıyla uyumlu hale getirmeyi amaçlayan MaRDA Projesi'ni, yenilenen Ulusal Biyolojik Çeşitlilik Stratejisi'ni, Kasım'da Antalya'da düzenlenecek COP31'i ve TCF desteğiyle 2023'te tamamlanan Gökçeada Tuz Gölü projesini de ele aldık. Prof. Dr. Herdem Aslan'a göre iyi bir koruma projesi bilimsel temelli, yerel olarak sahiplenilmiş ve fon bittikten sonra da yaşamaya devam eden projedir.

🔗 Röportajın tamamı: https://turquoisecoastfund.org/denizel-veriden-uygulamaya-prof-dr-herdem-aslan-ile-soylesi/?preview_id=8718&preview_nonce=a0139cba19&_thumbnail_id=-1&preview=true

29/09/2026

Prof. Dr. Herdem Aslan, a member of our Advisory Board, is a marine biologist working on Türkiye's coastal and marine ecosystems.

In this conversation, we explore how marine data turns into conservation policy. We talk about the MaRDA Project, which is bringing Türkiye's marine monitoring capacity in line with EU standards, the renewal of the national biodiversity strategy, her work at Gökçeada Salt Lake, and COP31, which will be held in Antalya this November.

This interview is part of TCF's Sea Series, developed with members of our Advisory Board. The series brings together expert voices from the field, connecting science with community-based approaches.

🔗 Read the full interview here: https://turquoisecoastfund.org/from-marine-data-to-action-a-conversation-with-prof-dr-herdem-aslan/

19/09/2026

Cleaner coasts begin before waste reaches the sea.

Every year, Coastal Cleanup Day brings volunteers together to do essential, hands-on work: removing plastic waste that has already reached our shorelines. Even more critical is prevention, which builds on that work and tackles plastic before it reaches the coast.

Through the Legal Advocacy and Institutional Capacity Strengthening for NGOs Combating Plastic Pollution in Coastal and Wetland Areas Programme, Hukuk, Doğa ve Toplum Vakfı and Plastic Free Turkiye Platform are strengthening the legal knowledge and advocacy capacity of NGOs working to reduce plastic pollution at its source along Türkiye's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.

The project supports NGOs to engage more effectively in local, national and international policy processes, turning awareness into concrete legal tools and shared advocacy strategy. The team will also deliver online seminars and one in-person workshop in Izmir, produce a practical advocacy handbook, and run a communications campaign.

Daha temiz kıyılar, atık denize ulaşmadan önce başlar.

Her yıl Kıyı Temizlik Günü'nde gönüllüler bir araya gelerek önemli, somut bir iş yapıyorlar: kıyıya ulaşmış plastik atığı temizliyorlar. Daha da kritik önemde olan önleme çalışmaları ise bu emeğin üzerine inşa ediliyor ve henüz kıyıya ulaşmamış plastiği hedefliyor.

Hukuk, Doğa ve Toplum Vakfı desteklediğimiz Kıyı ve Sulak Alanlarda Plastik Kirliliği ile Mücadelede STK'lar için Hukuki Savunuculuk ve Kurumsal Kapasite Güçlendirme Programı kapsamında, Türkiye'nin Ege ve Akdeniz kıyılarında plastik kirliliğini kaynağında azaltmaya çalışan STK'ların hukuki bilgi ve savunuculuk kapasitesini güçlendiriyor.

Proje, STK'ların yerel, ulusal ve uluslararası politika süreçlerine daha etkin katılım sağlamasını destekliyor; farkındalığı somut hukuki araçlara ve ortak bir savunuculuk stratejisine dönüştürüyor.

Program kapsamında çevrim içi seminerler ve İzmir'de yüz yüze bir çalıştay düzenlenecek, uygulamaya dönük bir savunuculuk el kitapçığı hazırlanacak ve bir iletişim kampanyası yürütülecek.

The Conservation Collective
Turkiye Mozaik Foundation
Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı

09/09/2026

Turning an invasive plant into an economic opportunity for local women in Turkiye 🌱

We're excited to announce a new project: "Ecosystem Rehabilitation and Local Economy Support through Water Hyacinth Recycling" in Hatay, led by Turquoise Coast Environment Fund, The Conservation Collective, together with TURSIYEV with funding from our new supporter: Fondation de France

Following the February 2023 earthquakes, the Asi River and Kırıkhan Gölbaşı Lake in Hatay have seen invasive water hyacinth spread rapidly - a direct consequence of disrupted wastewater and waste management systems. Left unchecked, these plants deplete oxygen, block sunlight, and threaten aquatic life.

This project reframes that environmental burden as an economic opportunity. Water hyacinth is systematically harvested, dried, and processed by 50 women from earthquake-affected communities into functional and handcrafted products, combining ecosystem rehabilitation with sustainable income generation.

This project has been supported since its earlier implementation period through our collaborative efforts with The Conservation Collective,Turkish Philanthropy Funds, Turkiye Mozaik Foundation and Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı

We're delighted to now continue that commitment together with our partners, bringing local knowledge and a shared focus on women's empowerment, both economic and emotional resilience in the aftermath of the earthquake, to deliver a scaled, community-led solution for Hatay.

26/08/2026

In this episode of BBC's World's Ultimate Adventures, Lizzie Daly heads into the mountains above Mersin in search of one of Türkiye's rarest birds: the brown fish owl.

Our grantee, Tarsus Slow Food Earth Market Association (Tarsus Slow Food Yeryüzü Pazarı Derneği), and researcher Turan Çetin have been working to monitor and protect the fish owl - once believed to be a bad omen, now the focus of a growing conservation effort in Mersin.

Watch the full documentary now on BBC News: https://lnkd.in/dqybH-dE

Thank you to Lizzle Daly and Electric Eel Studios for telling this story so well.

With the support of our partners The Conservation Collective, Turkish Philanthropy Funds, Turkiye Mozaik Foundation, and Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı we continue to support locally led environmental recovery in Türkiye’s disaster-affected regions.

25/08/2026

For two years, our grantee, Tarsus Slow Food Earth Market Association (Tarsus Slow Food Yeryüzü Pazarı Derneği), and researcher Turan Çetin have been working to protect the elusive brown fish owl, one of Türkiye's rarest birds, in the mountain valleys above Mersin.

This spring, BBC's Call of the Wild (World's Ultimate Adventures) followed wildlife biologist Lizzie Daly into those same valleys. After days of hiking and two nights waiting quietly in the dark, the crew finally spotted one.

You can watch the full documentary here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0030r8l

Photo credit: Electric Eel Studios

With the support of our partners The Conservation Collective, Turkish Philanthropy Funds, Turkiye Mozaik Foundation and Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı, we continue to support locally led environmental recovery in Türkiye’s disaster-affected regions.

20/08/2026

Deep in Hatay's Kırıkhan Wildlife Development Area, our grantee, Hatay Nature Conservation Association (Hatay Tabiatı Koruma Derneği), camera traps are quietly documenting something remarkable. 📷🦔

This is the only place in Türkiye where the mountain gazelle and the striped hyena share the same ground.

The team has set up 9 camera traps across roughly 13,000 hectares of this landscape, creating a low-disturbance monitoring network that lets us watch these elusive species.

Why does this matter?

🦌 Mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and increasingly rare across their range, squeezed by habitat loss and human activity.

🐾 Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are classified as Vulnerable in the Mediterranean, shy, mostly nocturnal, and rarely seen.

Camera traps are often our only window into their world. The cameras have also been picking up Indian porcupines and Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) passing through, a reminder of just how much life this landscape supports.

Camera traps let researchers build accurate population estimates, detect rare species and their movements, and spot new arrivals or declines without disturbing wildlife. They also help map how gazella and hyenas move through the habitat, pinpoint where their ranges overlap with grazing and farming activity, and flag the areas at highest risk of human-wildlife conflict.

This data is vital: it helps fill data gaps and enhances conservation work for the long term, and is shared with local and national authorities to help shape practical measures that protect both species.

With the support of our partners The Conservation Collective, Turkish Philanthropy Funds, Turkiye Mozaik Foundation and Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı, we continue to support locally led environmental recovery in Türkiye’s disaster-affected regions.

13/08/2026

The Asi River begins in Lebanon, flows through Syria, and reaches the Mediterranean in Türkiye. Its wetlands and coastline support migrating birds, local communities, and rich biodiversity. 🦩

After the February 2023 earthquake, uncontrolled pollution, quarrying, and debris dumping have put this vital water source under serious strain.

For two years, our grantee, Antakya Environmental Protection Association (Antakya Çevre Koruma Derneği), has been working to protect this important basin through the Asi River and Delta Environmental Vision Plan.

The plan focuses on five key areas: quarries, the river, agricultural lands, Milleyha Wetland, and the Samandağ coastline, to protect 30% of the basin by 2030.

Now in the second year of our collaborative support, the team is working to bring this plan to decision-makers and the wider public because post-earthquake planning can't just be about rebuilding structures. It has to protect the water, soil, and ecosystems that communities depend on to recover and stay resilient.

Read the Asi River Basin Environmental Vision Plan here: https://www.bluescapes.earth/asi-cevre-vizyon-plani/

Help spread their campaign here: https://www.change.org/p/asi-nehri-ve-havzas%C4%B1-korunsun?utm_medium=custom_url&utm_source=share_petition&recruited_by_id=5a4fa6f0-2510-11f1-9dd3-1b596615b113

Together with our partners The Conservation Collective, Turkish Philanthropy Funds, Turkiye Mozaik Foundation and Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı, we are proud to support efforts helping build a more resilient and sustainable future for Türkiye’s disaster-affected regions.

05/08/2026

At the Buranın Balıkları (Fish of Here) Festival in Foça, Sürdürülebilir Yaşam Derneği brought fishers, chefs, and university students together to bring eight local fish species, long overlooked on menus, back to the table.

Alongside food and net-repair competitions, local fishers shared firsthand knowledge of Foça's waters, while gastronomy students developed original recipes now published in the Local Fish Recipe Book.

"Supporting local fish doesn't just increase fishers' income; it also protects marine ecosystems and food security," says Prof. Dr. Emine Aksoydan, Sürdürülebilir Yaşam Derneği's Board Chair.

Swipe through to hear more from the team behind this project.

Turkiye Mozaik Foundation
The Conservation Collective
Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı

28/07/2026

Protecting nature means protecting the systems that sustain life.

From coastal habitats and marine ecosystems to local communities and scientific research, every step matters in building a healthier and more balanced future.

At Turquoise Coast Fund, we support locally led projects working to safeguard Türkiye's coastal and marine ecosystems through science, collaboration, and community action.

Today, we celebrate everyone working to care for the places, species, and ecosystems that make life along our coasts possible. Because every ecosystem we help restore strengthens our shared future.

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Doğayı korumak, yaşamı sürdüren sistemleri korumaktır.

Kıyı habitatlarından deniz ekosistemlerine, yerel topluluklardan bilimsel araştırmalara kadar, daha sağlıklı ve dengeli bir gelecek için atılan her adım önemlidir.

Turquoise Coast Fund olarak, Türkiye'nin kıyı ve deniz ekosistemlerini bilim, iş birliği ve toplumsal katılım yoluyla korumaya çalışan yerel projelere destek veriyoruz.

Bugün, kıyılarımızdaki yaşamı mümkün kılan yerleri, türleri ve ekosistemleri korumak için çalışan herkesi kutluyoruz. Çünkü iyileşmesine katkı sağladığımız her ekosistem ortak geleceğimizi güçlendiriyor.

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https://turquoisecoastenvironment.org/, https://conservation-collective.org/

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