Status: Completed

Project Duration: January 2025- July 2025

 

Challenge

In Muğla, diverse biodiversity and sensitive habitats face environmental threats due to tourism pressures. There is a need for increased awareness and volunteer involvement in nature conservation, especially among youth and local NGOs.  

Solution

Aquatic Life Association aims to foster nature conservation volunteering in local NGOs by providing conservation and wildlife monitoring training to youth and families in Muğla. They will create a “Wildlife Monitoring and Nature Conservation Education Module” for local Youth Centers. The initiative includes practical fieldwork in Köyceğiz and Dalaman to promote local conservation efforts and public support for civil society activities. 

IMPACT SUMMARY – August 2025

Project Activities

• Delivered nature conservation and wildlife monitoring trainings across five youth centers in Muğla (Köyceğiz, Ortaca, Dalaman, Fethiye, Datça) in collaboration with the Doğa Araştırmaları Derneği.

• Reached 1,042 children (well above the 750 originally targeted), along with teachers and parents, through sessions on nature conservation, invasive marine species, Türkiye’s seas, and endangered species.

• Organized field-based learning: wildlife monitoring with camera traps in Ekincik, birdwatching at Köyceğiz Delta, and a visit to the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center for 50 students.

• Hosted a large birdwatching event with 150 students, 150 parents, and local NGOs, involving hands-on use of binoculars, telescopes, and camera traps.

• Curated a student exhibition at Köyceğiz Youth Center, showcasing images from field activities, with 250 students and 30 adults participating.

• Built new partnerships with local NGOs, schools, and public institutions, strengthening civil society collaboration in Muğla.

Project Impact

• Children and families gained a deeper understanding of local biodiversity, invasive species, and marine conservation. One student remarked:

“Thanks to you, I learned the importance of the seas and the effects of plastic pollution on marine life. I hope you come again.”

• Trained 38% more children than originally planned, with additional schools voluntarily replicating the sessions for 100 more students outside the project.

• Created long-term cooperation with youth centers, NGOs, and schools, ensuring sustainability of environmental education in Muğla.

• Fostered appreciation of marine and terrestrial life among children living in coastal areas who previously lacked knowledge of their local ecosystems.

Looking Forward

Aquatic Life Association (Sucul Yaşam Derneği) plans to continue trainings regularly at Köyceğiz, Ortaca, and Datça youth centers, and to expand outreach to university students and new civil society partners. There is strong demand to replicate this program in other regions, with interest already received from schools in İzmir.