Status: ON-GOING

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. The project aims to cultivate a generation of nature conservationists through educational modules on wildlife monitoring and conservation at five youth centers. It seeks to engage families and promote environmental stewardship. 

Project’s deliverables

• A Wildlife Monitoring and Nature Conservation Education Module will be developed to increase the ecological knowledge of youth regarding wildlife in Muğla. This module will be implemented across five regions in Muğla (Köyceğiz Youth Center, Ortaca Youth Office, Dalaman Youth Center, Fethiye Youth Center, and Datça Youth Office) with approximately 750 child participants.  
• Two practical wildlife monitoring field sessions will be organized with the participation of local nature conservation NGOs to provide hands-on experience in wildlife monitoring techniques. The team aims to educate children about the habitats of various species, monitoring methods (such as observing tracks and scat and setting up camera traps), and threats to wildlife.   
• A one-minute promotional video will feature footage from the training sessions and habitat shoots. Additionally, to reach as many people as possible outside the scope of the training, project partners will produce and share at least seven short reels promoting nature conservation.  
• A wildlife camera trap exhibition will be organized using camera trap images and other outputs (such as animal tracks and invasive fish photos) obtained from the fieldwork to inspire children’s curiosity about nature.  

 

About the organisation:

Founded in 2022 in Muğla, the Aquatic Life Association is dedicated to researching aquatic ecosystems, studying marine fauna and fisheries interactions, conserving coastal zones, and raising public awareness through education.  Muğla region is rich in aquatic biodiversity and home to endangered species such as sea turtles, otters, Mediterranean monk seals, and sharks. However, it also faces threats from invasive species entering from the Red Sea.