The Mediterranean Conservation Society, active since 2012 in preserving the vulnerable biodiversity and cultural heritage of Turkey's coasts, includes among its most crucial species conservation efforts the endangered Mediterranean monk seals. In this context, the TUI Care Foundation and the Mediterranean Conservation Society launched the Mediterranean Monk Seal Monitoring and Awareness Project in 2023 as part of the TUI Sea the Change Turkey program. Until 2025, monitoring and conservation efforts will be carried out for the Mediterranean monk seal and its habitats in the Fethiye-Göcek region. Ezgi Saydam, the Officer of Conservation and Monitoring Studies at the Mediterranean Conservation Society, has been conducting scientific studies on the species for many years.
In 2011, while studying Biology at university, Ezgi Saydam began volunteering during the rehabilitation process of two orphaned Mediterranean monk seal pups in Izmir Foça, separated from their mother. Ezgi describes this encounter as, "Meeting this marine mammal that deeply affected me at first sight, marked the first step in my career, which was already focused on marine mammal research, a dream I was already forming." Her interest and love for the Mediterranean monk seal, which began during those days, turned into a professional career with the Mediterranean Conservation Society's monk seal monitoring program in 2016. In addition to her monitoring and conservation work at the Mediterranean Conservation Society, Ezgi Saydam has made significant contributions to the literature by conducting master's and doctoral theses on the Mediterranean monk seal.
Currently, Mediterranean monk seals are distributed along the coasts of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Eastern Atlantic and are one of the least numerous among all pinnipeds. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, this species is classified as “Vulnerable (VU)” worldwide while it is categorised as “Endangered (EN)” in the Eastern Mediterranean, with approximately 1000 individuals globally known to exist today. Conservation efforts for this declining species offer hope for the continuation of the species.
TUI Care Foundation and the Mediterranean Conservation Society, within the framework of the TUI Sea the Change Turkey program, describe their efforts in the Mediterranean Monk Seal Monitoring and Awareness Project, as conveyed by Ezgi Saydam: "We are currently conducting monitoring activities of the Mediterranean monk seal in 12 coastal caves along the shoreline from Gökova Gulf to Kaş. With the Mediterranean Monk Seal Monitoring and Awareness Project, we also conduct monitoring activities in caves located in the Fethiye-Göcek Region. Monitoring activities will be carried out using camera traps placed in coastal caves, which are the natural habitat of the Mediterranean monk seal, and a simultaneous remote monitoring system to be installed in one of the coastal caves in the study area. Within the scope of these studies, the aim is to obtain data on the cave usage of seals and individuals utilizing these caves. Working in collaboration with tour boats and hotels in the region, information will be shared with children and adults about species living in the Mediterranean Basin, especially the Mediterranean monk seal, and what can be done to protect their habitats. Informative presentations will be conducted in local primary schools, and educational materials such as animations and card games specially developed for children will be distributed to a total of 600 primary school students, allowing them to learn about the species in an enjoyable way. Protecting the Mediterranean monk seal involves efforts such as preventing human activities around breeding caves, actively monitoring the limited habitats of the species, and collaborating with relevant public institutions using scientific data obtained from monitoring studies to ensure the continuity of the species."
In addition to institutional and expert conservation efforts, Ezgi Saydam lists what people should pay attention to when encountering a Mediterranean monk seal on land or at sea:
Be quiet and move slowly, avoiding behaviours that may stress them.
Do not approach or touch them.
Do not attempt to feed them.
Avoid entering coastal caves with underwater and surface entrances, swimming or diving near the cave.