Animal Welfare Turkey Project #72468

WWF Turkiye

by WWF-Turkiye

Summary

WWF-Turkiye works across six global conservation priorities: Seas, Biodiversity, Freshwater, Climate and Energy, Forests, and Soil Protection. As we approach the 20th anniversary of our Green Sea Turtle Conservation Programme in Akyatan, Adana, we are proud to have helped more than 270,000 baby green sea turtles from over 6,000 nests reach the sea safely, thanks to our growing community of partners and supporters. Join Akyatan's conservation story and help more baby sea turtles reach the sea.

$99,000
total goal

$98,607
remaining

5
donors

0
monthly donors

1
year

Challenge

Endangered green sea turtles face severe threats on Mediterranean shores. On nesting beaches, artificial lights, marine debris, plastic pollution, and predators like jackals disrupt their life cycle and cause high mortality rates among hatchlings. Climate change further shifts gender ratios due to rising nest temperatures. In open waters, they suffer from illegal poaching, plastic ingestion, and accidental bycatch in fishing nets, leaving only 1-2 in 1,000 to reach maturity.

Solution

Collaborating with local authorities, WWF-Turkiye runs an uninterrupted monitoring and protection program at Akyatan Beach. We protect nests, track temperatures, and guide hatchlings safely to the sea while monitoring adult females via satellite to support conservation planning. With your support, we can continue this 20-year journey and protect more green sea turtles. Please donate today and be the voice nature urgently needs!

Long-Term Impact

This 20-year dedication achieved a major milestone: our program was crowned with 2nd-generation nesting mothers and helped improve the Mediterranean green sea turtle's IUCN Red List status from "Critically Endangered (CR)" to "Near Threatened (NT)". Long-term, securing this population ensures healthy seagrass meadows, boosting marine oxygen production and carbon storage. This success is the ultimate guarantee for a balanced marine food chain and a thriving coastal ecosystem.