2021 brought new additions to our marine protection projects and was a year of both promising developments and worries due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a short summary of our highlights from the past year.
Our Marine Rangers clocked in 2905 hours of patrol as part of our monitoring efforts in non-fishing zones Gökova Bay, Kaş-Kekova, and Fethiye Göcek to prevent any incidences of illegal activity.
Our 5th General Annual Meeting took place in Izmir on April 7, 2021.
Since 2013, we have been tracking Mediterranean Monk Seals as part of our Mediterranean Monk Seal Monitoring project, and for the first time ever we observed three adult female and two young Mediterranean Seals together inside a coastal cave.
On behalf of the Department for the Preservation of Natural Assets under the Ministry for the Environment, Urban Planning, and Climate Change, we installed a 24/7 CCTV system which will allow us to monitor the spots with the highest level of sandbar shark presence at Boncuk Cove at Gökova Bay, as well as track human activity and observe the cove from different angles while on shore. During the summer, we monitored this endangered species via snorkel diving and drones. On September 27, 2021, we observed the biggest group of sandbar sharks hitherto encountered in the area, made up of 7 individuals. The group also included one juvenile shark which was less than 1 meter long. Our camera located on shore in the monitoring area, which tracks surface activity, observed one Mediterranean Monk Seal. You can watch the live feed from our cameras through the society’s website and the TVKGM website.
We began working on the revisions for the Foça Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA) Management Plan with the Department for the Preservation of Natural Assets under the Ministry for the Environment, Urban Planning, and Climate Change.
We played an active part in aiding efforts to extinguish forest fires in and around Marmaris, providing equipment, transport from land and sea, and logistical support for those wishing to send supplies to help those in the area.
We began to monitor the Marmaris Salamander in order to ascertain the effects of the forest fires that took place in its habitat on the species, and to contribute our views regarding the restoration of the species’ habitat.
We were excited to hear upcoming compositions by musician Volkan Hürsever, the Turkey finalist for the Endangered Geographies Art Prize which aims to highlight the importance of marine protected areas and the healing power of the human-nature relationship in these areas through art.
We conducted underwater clean-up projects in the Fethiye-Göcek, Gökova Bay, and Kaş-Kekova Marine Protected Areas.
We signed a cooperation protocol with the Department for the Preservation of Natural Assets under the Ministry for the Environment, Urban Planning, and Climate Change as part of the Shared Management of the Gökova SEPA Marine Protected Areas project, with the purpose of implementing and monitoring the outcome of the Management Plan between 2021-2025 in marine and marine-adjacent areas.
The Guide to Marine Protected Areas, a groundbreaking study for the protection of oceans which also includes the Mediterranean Conservation Society’s experiences in the area, was published in Science magazine.
Our efforts to restore ecosystems and increase the income of small-scale fishers in order to alleviate the pressure created by edible invasive marine species on local species continued to gather momentum in 2021. With the help of volunteer chefs from Kaş, Akyaka, Bodrum, Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara, we put invasive fish species including the Lionfish and other marine species such as the long-spiked sea urchin on restaurant menus.
We updated our website to make it more user-friendly.
The MCS team expanded in 2021. We were joined by Emre Güren (Göcek Marine Ranger), Gizem Akdoğan (Office Manager), Murat Bağcı (Akyaka Marine Ranger), Tunca Olguner (Projects Assistant), Yankı Tandırcıoğlu (Gökova Site Assistant), Yasemin Ulusoy (Project and Resource Development Officer), Yunus Emre Başkahraman (Karacasöğüt Marine Ranger), and İlkay Kavak (Communications Manager).
We recorded the birth of a Mediterranean Monk Seal in a coastal cave on the Southern Aegean coastline, which we monitor with a camera trap.
We became an accredited observer NGO for the Mediterranean Action Plan by the UN’s Environmental Program, and attended the 22nd Contracting Parties’ Meeting for the Barcelona Convention which took place in Antalya in December.
We organised the Young Fishers’ Experience Sharing Meeting with the Akyaka Fisheries Cooperation in Akyaka with the participation of fishers from Kaş, Kalkan, Akbük, and Akyaka.
We shared our knowledge of the nature of the Bozburun Peninsula and Taşlıca, and endangered species living in the area such as the Mediterranean Monk Seal, and discussed the importance of protecting our natural heritage with around 100 primary school students in Söğüt, in cooperation with the local Departments of Education in Muğla and Marmaris and the Phoenix Archeology Project.
We launched the Traditional Fishing Pilot Project in Akyaka in cooperation with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as part of the Hope Initiative. The project aims to bring fishing tourism (Pesca Tourismo) developed in Italy in order to decrease the pressure exerted by fishing on fish stocks and underwater habitats and support sustainable fishing.
We hosted the Efficiency and Robustness of Marine Protection Projects training created and administered by Blue Seeds in Akyaka.
We attended the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas Network (MedPAN) forum, which takes place once every four years and is geared towards the development of international action plans for marine protected areas, in Monaco.
As the Mediterranean Conservation Society, we hope 2022 is a healthy, happy, and prosperous year for you and your loved ones. In 2022, we will keep dreaming of and working towards more accomplishments in our Marine Protected Areas.