Jeff Gibbs presents two of Turkey’s environmental warriors, Doğa Derneği and Buğday.

Doğa Derneği

Doğa Derneği was founded in 2002 and works out of Ankara, with offices in Istanbul and pretty much every major city in Turkey.  DD aren't a bunch of dreamy hippies chaining themselves to trees and singing protest songs.  They have a practical, hard line approach, working with national government agencies and local communities to create projects that develop the local economy without blindly raping the landscape.  Support them.  They do good things.  Here are a few needing immediate attention.

1.  Hasankeyif is a 10,000- year-old city on the banks of the Tigris River, as in the Cradle of Civilization, Tigris, and it's about to be buried under a flood of biblical proportions.  God is not the culprit this time, but the Ilisu Dam Project, supported by the Turkish government and several European companies and cohorts despite the fact that it violates several of the EU's own laws.  Prime Minister Erdoğan broke ground on the dam on August 5, 2006, so the destruction is already underway, but it's not irreversible.  The project promises to create a gigantic reservoir over 10 billion square meters that will generate more than 3,800 GW of power annually, and to develop a chronically impoverished region, but it's going to displace thousands to do so, mostly the Kurds it purports to help. And it will permanently inundate more than fifty villages, not to mention destroying the last river-canyon system in Turkey and countless animal habitats.  To put it bluntly, the project, as it stands, sucks royally and is only barrelling forward because it slipped in under the wire before the latest barrage of environmental protection laws took effect.  This is probably the DD's most important project.   Donate something--a lira, a minute, a signature on a petition.  In addition to Doğa Derneği, protest groups have organized under the websites www.stopilisu.com and www.ilisu.org.uk.  Visit them.  Now.
2.  Beypazarı is a beautiful town near Ankara with a treasure trove of old Ottoman houses and nearby natural wonders including the Eğriova Plateau and the imposing rocks of the Inozu Valley.  DD is working with the local government to develop a local tourism industry with an awareness and appreciation for protecting its natural sites.  What?  No mass bus tours, golf resorts, or mega nightclubs?  Sounds crazy, but they could use some support.  Take one of the tours sponsored by the The Ekodoa Tourism agency, which runs nature-based tours to the area.  They operate out of Ankara.  Tel: 0312 437 01 49
3.  Izmir's Bird Paradise Visitor Centre is one of DD's creations (in league with Atlas Magazine and the Aegean Nature Society).  They're helping to develop the region responsibly with ecotourism, organic agriculture, and education of local communities on just how amazing their land is (providing jobs as a result). The Delta is a Ramsar site, a bureaucratic word for a wetland under international protection, and it’s drop-dead gorgeous; also, home to over 26 species of endangered birds and in winter, to 80,000 wetland birds.  You don't have to be a birdwatcher to wonder at the landscapes.  Sign up for a tour.  Support their efforts.  Their website is http://www.izmirkuscenneti.gov.tr, with an English translation. 
 
Buğday

Buğday grew out of an organic, locavore cafe in Bodrum and now have their hands in a wide variety of projects, most focusing on organic agriculture and education.  Their driving goal, borrowing from their website, is to "create a society which is aware of its role as part of an ecologic whole."  Their methods:  "to create good examples, support what already exists, and encourage the availability of information."  They created one good example, the organic farm volunteer program which helps support Turkey's growing organic industry with free workers.  The group is also the mother of the Ekolojik Halk Pazarı in Şişli and is working to build education centres in rural areas where environmental ravaging is just around the corner.  As to supporting what already exists, they have joined with Turkey's nature magazine Atlas to help sponsor their "Seed Fidelity" program.  No, the seeds aren't trying to have extramarital affairs.  Atlas and Buğday want to protect and preserve native seeds against the onslaught of commercial agriculture.  To this end, they have provided a packet of seeds from native food plants with every March issue of Atlas.  I got purslane, and it's growing on my balcony as I write.  There's also an educational website of course to explain to people the importance of preserving native flora.  Buğday certainly encourages the availability of Turkish information at least (their English website is a little dated).  They run a newsletter (Turkish only) that gives a daily update on environmental goings-on such as the new car share program, arabapaylaş, that has started in the city. They work with several international groups including the ECEAT (the European Centre Ecological and Agricultural Tourism), and even have a few foreigners on their staff, so they are eager to get Istanbul's expat community involved.  Help them out.  Become a member.  Just go to their webpage and sign up.  www.bugday.org


Other notable environmental groups in Turkey include:
1. Türkçek: Turkey's oldest conservation group with multilingual website, www.turkcek.org
2. World Wildlife Fund, Turkey.  www.wwf.org.tr
3. Doğal Hayatı Koruma Derneği (The Society for the Protection of Wildlife):  They even have a project called Keep Istanbul Green!  www.dhkd.org.
4. Çekül (The Foundation for the Protection of Environmental and Cultural Heritage),  with an English website at www.cekulvakfi.org.tr
5.  Atlas Magazine:  In Turkish, but more than just a magazine.  They're activists.