Turkey will determine the world criteria for special environmental protection areas
A call was made for presenting the model of Turkey’s Special Environmental Protection Areas to the 2012 World Conservation Parks Congress as a role model, in the Marine and Coastal Protection Areas (MCPAs) Strategy and Action Plan meetings, which were made in the context of “Strengthening Protected Area Network of Turkey: Catalyzing Sustainability of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas Project”.
New Horizons - Adriana DINU, Regional Practice Leader, Environment and Energy - UNDP, Europe and the CIS Bratislava Regional Centre, participated in the meeting made in the context of “Strengthening Protected Area Network of Turkey: Catalyzing Sustainability of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas Project” on July, 6th.
DINU called for launching the preparations to present Turkey’s Special Environmental Protection Areas (SEPAs) as role model in the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Parks Congress within the frame of sustainable development concept and as a “new status.
EPASA President Ahmet Özaynık said that they welcome this approach with pleasure and mentioned that this case shows Turkey’s leadership in this area as well as Turkey’s attached importance for this subject.
Vision and strategic objectives identified
Following the meeting held in Ankara, the Strategy and Action Plan meeting was continued in Gebze on 11-12 July.
Nearly 60 vocational professionals including the academicians, NGO representatives and experts as well as the project stakeholders from state agencies and institutions were participated in the meeting.
The vision of “Turkey, leader in Marine and Coastal Protection areas, which maintained the sustainability of marine and coastal values in order to leave a livable marine environment for future generations” was accepted upon joint effort by the participants.
At the end of the meeting, the strategic objectives for MCPA management were determined and accepted as follows:
- Strengthening the corporate structure and the capacity with the information and training activities for public, local and area visitors,
- Providing income generating ant cost effective management,
- Increasing inter-institutional coordination, including the international ones,
- Developing an applicable legislation, in which the conflicts and overlapping are resolved and the job descriptions of the institutions are described openly and clearly,
- Providing the integration of the management plans in MCPAs with the spatial plans,
- Providing the qualitative and quantitative development of MCPAs which represent Turkey’s marine and coastal values.