Photo: © FAO

Adana – A stakeholder meeting for the project “Development of Cukurova Delta Lagoons for the Sustainable Conservation of Biodiversity under the Threat of Climate Change in Adana, Türkiye”, was held in Adana earlier this week. The project will be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The stakeholder meeting was opened by Ali Kansu Öztürk, Deputy Director of the Adana Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry. In his speech,he spoke about the nature of lagoons – water bodies that are formed by fresh and seawater – and noted that Adana is home to five major lagoons, covering a total area of 5 600 hectares. Two are located in Yumurtalık district and three in Karataş. Öztürk emphasized that the Adana Çamlık Dalyan has the longest fence in Turkey and contributes significantly to the local economy. He also pointed out that intensive agricultural activities and pesticide use, changes in precipitation patterns, climate change, and environmental and human factors are negatively impacting the lagoons.

The meeting continued with a speech given by Erdoğan Özevren, FAO GEF Portfolio Coordinator. Özevren noted that: “FAO was established to provide technical assistance to member countries in areas such as food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries”, and that, “FAO and GEF, as longstanding partners, will collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on the protection and sustainability of lagoons and fisheries under this project in the GEF 8 cycle”. He then provided more details about the project and the objective of the meeting: “We are delighted that the project’s drafting phase has begun within this framework. This meeting will identify existing needs for project implementation and lay a strong foundation for its execution. Analysing the contents of existing drainage channels, which currently carry agricultural chemicals, and redirecting them for agricultural reuse after detailed analysis will contribute significantly to reducing water and fertilizer usage. This approach will help protect our environment while also making a substantial economic contribution”.

Mahir Kanyılmaz, Director of Resource Management and Fisheries Structures at the General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,focused on the decrease in numbers of lagoons in Türkiye from 72 to 18, and emphasized that the degradation of these 18 lagoons negatively impacts the fisheries sector. He further explained that rehabilitation efforts under this project will accelerate conservation efforts.