Status: Completed

Project duration: December 2022 – August 2023

Challenge

Despite the significant presence of both coastal and deep-diving cetaceans in Turkish waters, the absent interest of stakeholders and lack of public consciousness intensify the negative impacts on these threatened species. This project builds a bridge between research and stakeholders and follows a multidisciplinary bottom-up conservation approach for a collective goal of marine protection.

Solution

This project focuses on the effective conservation and protection of cetaceans in the coastal protected area of Kaş and Kekova, as well as the unique deep-sea habitats of Finike Sea mounts Special Environmental Protection Area. The project aims to build a communication network between civil society and related stakeholders, enhance public awareness of the cetaceans who are present right on their doorstep, and increase scientific knowledge through dedicated research efforts and workshops that train local researchers. By unifying these activities, we will raise awareness of the cetacean populations within these protected areas and provide the necessary conservation and mitigation actions.

Project’s deliverables

• Production of a short documentary video about cetaceans to enhance the interest of civil societies, stakeholders, and management bodies.
• Drafting an assessment report to guide future projects and share insights with other institutes to suggest successful and unsuccessful approaches.
• To collect additional data, ongoing survey efforts will be conducted, utilising both acoustic and visual survey techniques. The data will then be presented on local, regional, and international platforms, published in peer-reviewed journals, and used to fuel in-situ and rightly designed conservation strategies for the protected areas.
• A guide will be produced for the selected MPAs, including the critical habitats of cetaceans and the threat assessment with the recommended mitigation strategies. This guide will be disseminated to the protected area’s management bodies.
• Workshops will be organized to enhance local capacities, prioritizing female students and early-career researchers. The workshops will teach theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Through these workshops, we aim to encourage the founding of similar projects in Turkey.

Update October 2023: Read Turkey’s East Mediterranean in the Water Cetacea Types Threat Evaluation report here. See their impact here.

About the organisation: DMAD-Marine Mammals Research Association was established in 2015 to bridge the existing knowledge gaps on cetaceans while enhancing the local research capacities of Turkey. The additional aim of DMAD is to develop mutually respectful relationships with stakeholders for in-situ conservation actions on cetaceans, a problem that has been long missing in Turkey. DMAD works to raise ecological awareness and use research and knowledge to generate these management skills for a healthy marine ecosystem.