The Nature Conservation Center (DKM), in collaboration with the General Directorate of Forestry and IUCN Urban Alliance, has launched the “Forest Ecosystem Services for Societal Resilience at Istanbul Regional Directorate of Forestry” project. This initiative is supported by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change through the Climate Change Adaptation Grant Program (CCAGP).
The project aims to enhance the effective use of ecosystem services through climate change adaptation and nature-based solutions across a 630,000-hectare forest area spanning Istanbul, Edirne, Kırklareli, and Tekirdağ provinces. By focusing on increasing social resilience and ensuring the sustainable use of ecosystem services for the region’s 18 million residents, the project will implement three pilot applications. These pilots are expected to demonstrate the project’s tangible results and impacts, serving as models for similar initiatives nationwide. The project not only offers a strategic approach to improving social adaptation and environmental resilience but also aims to strengthen the capacities of local and central administrations and raise awareness about climate change adaptation. It holds the potential to become a global model for metropolitan areas.
Recently, we organized training sessions at Atatürk Arboretum in Istanbul to raise awareness among students about the importance of forests and ecosystem services and to develop their environmental consciousness. The training targeted students aged 4-14 and their teachers. During the spring term, the training successfully engaged 258 kindergarten students, 274 primary school students, and 225 middle school students.
In addition to the arboretum training sessions, our project encompassed several significant initiatives, including focus group meetings at forestry directorates, extensive data collection and modeling work, and a comprehensive field study program. These efforts involved mapping the ecosystem services and vulnerabilities of diverse forest types across Istanbul, Edirne, Kırklareli, and Tekirdağ provinces. We are also conducting research on best practices for climate resilience in forest ecosystems. This multifaceted approach aims to provide a robust foundation for identifying climate-resilient strategies and enhancing the adaptive capacities of forest ecosystems and communities.
