1. Could you please introduce yourself to us?
I finished Austria High School, followed by my college education at Bosphorus University in the Department of International Relations. For about 15 years, I have worked in different positions such as Credits and Marketing Management, Branch Management in the corporate and individual banking areas both in Germany and Turkey. After that, I have worked as the general manager of a Turkish group of textile companies in Düsseldorf for five years. In the year of 2009 shortly after I came back to Turkey, I started as the General Manager of WWF in December.
2. Could you tell us about the foundation of WWF-Turkey and its activities?
WWF -Turkey (World Wildlife Fund) has been founded in 1996 with the leadership of Natural Life Foundation (NLF), and in 2001 they acquired the title WWF - Turkey as WWF's representative in Turkey. WWF - Turkey has combined the experience and know how of NLF which implemented successful campaigns in our country with regard to the bald ibises and sea turtles (caretta caretta) that became the symbols of wildlife protection in Turkey, with the international perspective of the world's most deeply rooted and respected nature preservation institution, WWF. It carries out projects that aim at bringing solutions to the complex environmental problems in our country. Our practices develop in two axises as field projects and awareness campaigns.
While in the past the practices were mostly intended to preserve the species that were becoming extinct, today they are more focused on researching and eliminating the "basic reasons" of the loss of natural habitats and species. Now a days, significant and primary natural habitats are determined in terms of biological variety, and threats to these habitats are analyzed. After that, permanent solutions are produced with the contribution of the locals in order to eliminate these treats. In this regard, our nature preservation practices are carried out within the framework of projects that necessitate a certain process and long term efforts.
3. How can one become a member, and how do you communicate with your members?
We invite everyone to WWF - Turkey who wants to support us, want to achieve a living, ideal world with us, and be our member, support our works. We believe that the supporters of a nature conservation association are not limited to those who financially support the association. We see everyone who financially or morally supports us as the delegates of nature who shares awareness of nature conservation with their social milieus. It is our goal to help these volunteer delegates of nature conservation to perform their roles. For that we have regular notifications about our practices and nature conservation agenda. Sporadically we get together with our members and volunteers to listen their demands and insights and then reflect them to our practices. Many people who are concerned with any of the problems our nature has encountered but could not mobilize thinking he/she was alone, have realized, thanks to WWF - Turkey's individual support program, that there are thousands of them who share these concerns. The main objective of the individual support program is to raise public awareness with regards to the problems that the natural resources of our country are facing today, and to spread the conscious of nature conservation in all walks of life. Our biggest support in this area comes from our volunteers working shoulder to shoulder with us, and our members and donors with their financial and moral support.
Those who want to become a member of WWF - Turkey may visit our website www.wwf.org.tr and after completing the registration process which should only take couple of minutes, they can start supporting us. After this, the process of sharing information and experience necessary for them to be able to turn into a real ambassador of nature conservation starts.
4. How do you find the interest and participation in our country?
In a society like Turkish society where everybody support each other and protect the troubled, the notion of supporting a civic society organization has gained ground in the recent years. Today more people are prone to financially and morally support a civic society organization works of which they find reliable. Nevertheless, the civic society organizations, individuals and the media have huge roles in raising awareness in the society.
In Turkey, especially in the areas of fight against climate change, and the energy efficiency, nature conservation and individual efforts are increasing. As WWF - Turkey, we are moving along with 11.000 people who sometimes financially, sometimes morally support us. The increase in the number of our members who support our practices with their regular donations is very important to us.
5. Could you tell us about your projects? Are there any new projects you plan on carrying out?
While in the past the practices were mostly intended to preserve the species that were becoming extinct, today they are more focused on researching and eliminating the "basic reasons" of the loss of natural habitats and species. Nowadays, significant and primary natural habitats are determined in terms of biological variety, and threats to these habitats are analyzed. After that, permanent solutions are produced with the contribution of the locals in order to eliminate these treats. In this regard, our nature preservation practices are carried out within the framework of projects that necessitate a certain process and long term efforts. We are finally observing the results of the work we have conducted in areas like Konya Closed Basin which is very significant in terms of biological variety, but it has limited water resources and thus its natural life is under threat, after our long term efforts. With its incredibly colorful habitat, Konya Closed Basin accommodates a variety of birds, mammals and plants, it has wetlands, deserts and halophilic steps; there are intense agricultural practices as well. One of the limited areas of the world, this Basin is unfortunately poor in water resources, and the extensive water usage for the sake of agriculture here prevents many living species here to maintain their lives. As WWF - Turkey, we aimed at establishing an understanding that respects the other species in the region, without obstructing the agricultural activities which are the sole source of income for the locals. In order to do that, we targeted making modern irrigation techniques prevalent in the basin.
We showed that modern irrigation techniques such as drip irrigation and rain irrigation prevented water waste without reducing agricultural efficiency. We have performed government level lobbying practices for the bestowal of credits to support the farmer in building the systems for these techniques. Right now on Konya Closed Basin, drip irrigation is being practice on a 41.000 square meters of land. With 47% of reduction in total water usage, we have saved up to 24 million liters of water. Considering the fact that individual water consumption in one household is 150 liters, thanks to our works, we managed to save water for a daily use of 40 thousand families with 4 members. This is merely the beginning. While focusing on rational use of water in Konya Closed Basin, we aim at sustainable use of forests in Globe Mountains, one of Europe's most important 100 forests. Another project that our foundation carries out is the preparation of the management plan of the maritime region in the Kaş-Kekova Private Environment Protection Area, Turkey's first maritime preservation area, and thus the preserving the underwater life, as well as the sustainable use of the resources provided by the sea. Our main goal in projects like this, Bafa Lake in the West, Fırtına Basin in the north, Çıralı and Akyatan in the south, is to yield smart and sustainable use of the natural resources offered by the region, and to bequeath the next generation a nature that we are proud of. In May, we have "On the Trail of the Saz Cat" campaign starting at the Akyatan Wildlife Conservation Area, along with other awareness-raising campaigns such as the "Baby Bear" and "Dolphins".
6. How can institutions support you? Which institutions are currently supporting WWF -Turkey?
WWF - Turkey is a non-profit, independent foundation that performs its practices on individual, corporate donations, and sponsorships. Garanti Bank has been our most important corporate promoter for 18 years. Garanti Bank has won the Golden Panda, the most esteemed and prestigious awards of WWF in the world, thanks to the support it gave to WWF - Turkey within the scope of its corporate social responsibility campaigns. Similarly, we have been working with Coca Cola Turkey in Bafa Lake, with Siemens in Eğirdir Lake, and with Eti Burcak in Konya Closed Basin. The "my footprint on water" project have been carried out with Unilever Turkey in order to raise awareness in water, and we collaborate with Environmentalist Bonus Kart in many other projects on climate change. Other than the private sector, we have joint projects with international organizations and governmental aid institutions, such as the United Nations, European Union, and World Bank.
Those who want to collaborate with our nature conservation projects, develop project with its employees and support us, may contact us at 0212 528 20 30.
7. Are you able to follow technology and utilize it?
As WWF - Turkey, we conduct our practices cost efficiently; we apply the donations we receive from our donor and sponsorships in accordance with the highest accountability and sustainability. For accountability, we closely follow technological developments, and conduct projects that will help technological products that may contribute to the protection of our nature, get accepted by the society. However, when it comes to our own practices, due to our cost-efficiency principle, we have to limit our technological investments. Especially the GPS devices, photo traps, or certain technical equipments that we use for our researches necessary and indispensable for the nature conservation projects, but these are very costly for our foundation. In a situation like that, we make our decisions based on our consideration of potential efficiency and cost.
We think that the most important technological development for the civic society associations is the Internet and the Internet payment systems. All communication and membership works that are handled over the Internet are both low cost and they provide high efficiency.
8. Do you have any other messages for our readers?
"You Are Not Alone!" The biggest obstacle people are facing today with regards to mobilizing for the global issues like fighting against climate change was that people think the reflexes they would develop against such enormous problems would not work all by itself. However recently, especially with the effects of social media and sharing websites, individuals discovered that they are not alone in many issues they are about. There is strength in numbers, people who realize that there are other people like them ready to mobilize, are more confident in making their voices and demands heard. Even reviewing our habits for just a minute in the middle of our daily routines, contemplating on how every step we take leaves a mark on our planet may make us realize a lot of things. After that, finding out that there are millions of people like you sharing the same concerns can be a big surprise for you. Then you get together with them, and become an active part of change. We invite everyone who wants to support WWF, to reach an ideal world that lives and breathes with us. If you want to become a member of WWF - Turkey, just visit our website on www.wwf.org.tr, and complete the membership process in couple of minutes.
9.Anything you wish to add?
Thank you...
