Project Name: Integrating Biodiversity into Forestry

Date: September 2009 - present

Place: All of Turkey

Role Of DKM: Project leader

Project Partners: General Directorate of Forestry

Project Supporters: BTC Co. Environmental Investment Programme, General Directorate of Forestry, United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Fund Small Grants Programme (UNDP GEF SGP)

Summary Of Project:

Forests in Turkey are managed through forest management plans, written and implemented by Republic of Turkey’s Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs, General Directorate of Forestry (OGM). In 2004, OGM adopted a new planning scheme oriented around determining, planning and managing the forest’s different functions categorised as economic, ecological and social.

To implement the ecologic function, DKM targeted species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and plants associated with forests through a detailed scoring scheme, and mapped their distribution. Methodologies were developed to adapt and ameliorate forestry management techniques to reduce impact on these species, and monitor the results to ensure that biodiversity benefitted. Throughout the development process regular workshops were conducted to ensure the relevance and practicality of the methodology to OGM personnel.

Two handbooks were produced in collaboration with OGM: (i) ‘Integrating Biodiversity into Forest Management Planning’ enables forest planners to identify and map the target biodiversity in specific forests and pinpoint priority biodiversity zones where forestry management will need to be adapted.  (ii) ‘Integrating Biodiversity into Forestry Practices’ presents detailed information for each of the target species (including habitat requirements and critical periods to avoid forestry activities), suggestions for species-specific forest management, and critical aspects of forest ecology (old-growth forests, marginal populations etc.).