Status: Completed

Project Duration: September 2024- August 2025

 

Challenge

Turkey’s coastal and marine areas face significant threats despite existing legal protections, including the Coastal Law, Barcelona Convention, and Bern Convention. These laws need to be more widely understood and utilized among critical stakeholders, leading to the ongoing degradation of sensitive habitats for endangered and protected species.  

Solution

HUDOTO  aims to strengthen the legislative capacity of key stakeholders (NGOs, advocates, lawyers, law enforcement, and decision-makers) regarding coastal and marine conservation laws. Through a series of tailored training activities—both online and in-person—the project will address knowledge gaps and empower stakeholders to advocate effectively for the protection of coastal and marine habitats.  

 

IMPACT SUMMARY – August 2025

Project Activities

• Conducted a needs analysis with 57 participants to identify gaps in legal capacity for protecting coasts and marine areas.

• In total, HUDOTO engaged 142 people — 57 through the initial needs analysis and 85 through trainings in İzmir, Balıkesir, and Muğla.

• Produced training modules on coastal rights, legal mechanisms, and international agreements, integrating ecological science with legal advocacy.

• Facilitated group work where participants developed strategic policy proposals for coastal and marine protection, including stronger institutions and legal reforms.

Project Impact

• Participants gained practical knowledge of constitutional rights, national coastal law, and mechanisms under Bern and Barcelona conventions.

• Understanding of “coastal boundary line” increased from 30% to 80% after training; over 20 key legal/ecological concepts clarified and embedded in advocacy language.

• Participants reported plans to use new tools in local struggles, from filing information requests to referencing international protocols in legal cases.

• Workshops generated concrete proposals, such as establishing a Ministry for Water and Coastal Areas, integrating “ecocide” into Turkish environmental law, and enhancing enforcement of international agreements.

• Participants expressed increased motivation and confidence to train communities and challenge violations:

“For the first time, I saw the real meaning of the coastal boundary line in the field. Now I have a concrete argument to resist coastal filling projects.”

Looking Forward

HUDOTO aims to expand the model nationally by launching local capacity-building workshops together with NGOs, bar associations, and activists in new provinces. The foundation also plans to create an open-access digital platform featuring training videos, infographics, and interactive tools to make coastal protection knowledge more widely available.