WHO WE ARE?
Dekafok was officially registered and launched on 27th November 2020.
DEKAFOK is an abbreviation for sea turtle, Mediterranean seal and sand lilies in Turkish, this is the main focus of our study.
We operate out of our Dekafok Marine Conservation Centre, located on Mendirek Beach, Manavgat, Turkey.
Why are We Here?
The reason for the existence of DEKAFOK is to support the sustainable use of our beaches, first at the local and then at the international level, to protect the creatures living here, to take steps in this direction and to raise awareness among people in this direction.
Because beaches, along with all living things, are the areas of use for all of us, where biodiversity reaches the highest levels, and at the same time, about 80% of tourism revenues originate from sea, sand and sun. Like the oceans, the seas are major carbon scavengers and are an important actor in the fight against the climate crisis.
If our beach is clean and usable, the representation of the creatures we call biodiversity with a large number of species and the healthy functioning of biological cycles will be healthy in a sense and will eventually make a healthy environment for mankind.
The existence of DEKAFOK is to show that Sea Turtles, Mediterranean Seals and Sand Lilies can live in harmony with humans on our coasts, their habitats.
Our Vision and Our Future
To be a voluntary, conscious, pioneering, international and credible Non-Governmental Organization that works on science-based principles for the protection of all natural assets, especially our beaches, with the principle of sustainable life, believes in peace between nature and people, integrates with nature, has a say in the future of the country and the world.
Our Objectives:
To draw attention to the extinction of endangered species and habitats that threaten our country's biodiversity and to contribute to making this struggle a state policy,
To work for the protection of all our natural riches such as air, soil, fresh water and forest, which together with our beaches constitute the ecosystem around the world, and to create policies and social awareness regarding human-induced climate change.
To protect the self-grown sand lilies (Pancratium maritimum), to instill a love of trees in the society by afforestation studies, to protect sea turtles (Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas), Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) and to prevent the misuse of our beaches, which are their habitats, by integrating people with nature. to encourage them to live in harmony.
To do what is necessary for the conservation and proper management of natural assets.
Our Goal
The primary goal of the association is to our nation, its representatives, political parties and governments, public and private institutions, educational institutions, the media; is to explain the reasons for the extinction of critical species, the grave consequences and the danger that our beaches may become unusable.
In this sense, it aims to create a conscious and effective public opinion that is sensitive to environmental problems, especially coastal construction and pollution. In line with this goal, DEKAFOK continues its activities to convince the political forces that they cannot come to power without taking into consideration the destruction of natural assets and the problem of pollution.
DEKAFOK is aware that one of the most valuable treasures of our country is the diversity of living things and habitats (biodiversity).
Therefore, sea, forest, meadow, pasture and agricultural areas; believes that a government policy that preserves fresh water and plant gene resources, as well as includes concrete steps in the fight against pollution and the climate crisis, is necessary and imperative. Achieving these goals is only possible with a technically sufficient staff, organization and financial means.
Our Goal
The primary goal of the association is to our nation, its representatives, political parties and governments, public and private institutions, educational institutions, the media; is to explain the reasons for the extinction of critical species, the grave consequences and the danger that our beaches may become unusable.
In this sense, it aims to create a conscious and effective public opinion that is sensitive to environmental problems, especially coastal construction and pollution. In line with this goal, DEKAFOK continues its activities to convince the political forces that they cannot come to power without taking into consideration the destruction of natural assets and the problem of pollution.
DEKAFOK is aware that one of the most valuable treasures of our country is the diversity of living things and habitats (biodiversity).
Therefore, sea, forest, meadow, pasture and agricultural areas; believes that a government policy that preserves fresh water and plant gene resources, as well as includes concrete steps in the fight against pollution and the climate crisis, is necessary and imperative. Achieving these goals is only possible with a technically sufficient staff, organization and financial means.
Our Values
At Dekafok we are open, respectful, responsible and driven.
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Adaptation of Man to Nature
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Protecting Our Country's Nature
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Healthy Biodiversity
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Trust
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Sustainability
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Accountability
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Political Neutrality
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Partnership
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Open – We take a collaborative and inclusive approach to conservation and create opportunities for everyone to participate. We behave with integrity, holding ourselves to the highest ethical and professional standards, and are transparent in all of our actions.
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Respectful – We are non-confrontational, treat everyone with respect and value different ideas, opinions and approaches. We are appreciative of those who invest their time, money and skills in helping us to achieve our vision.
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Responsible – We follow globally accepted best practices and stay up-to-date with latest scientific developments and innovative approaches.
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Driven – We are passionate in our care for our environment. We set ambitious targets and develop practical and realistic solutions that create tangible, sustainable and beneficial outcomes for all parties.
What We Have Done Since Our Establishment (November 2020 – December 2022)
Our story, which started individually in May '2020, gained a corporate identity by becoming an association in November 2020 on our beaches, where we identified approximately 930 Sea Turtle nests and ensured that the hatchlings could safely go to the sea.
In June 2021, as DEKAFOK, we established the first official “Coastal Information Observation and Environmental Education Center” established by a non-governmental organization in Turkey.
After determining that there are very intense nesting activities of sea turtles, which are under protection worldwide with international conventions to which our country is also a party, around our center, local and foreign tourists, students affiliated with Manavgat National Education, and many public institution employees and supervisors on the beach in order to protect these nests.
With the participation of the partners, many activities were carried out on environmental education and awareness activities, rubbish collection activities, preventing the entry of 4x4 vehicles on the beaches, which were seen to have passed in large numbers on the coastline until then, and extinguishing the lights that were on during the night that damaged the hatchlings.
Every day, rubbish collection activities were organized on our beaches with the participation of our local administrators and students, teachers and parents from all branches, and as a result, 17 tons of garbage was collected from our beaches between April and October 2022.
These activities have found wide repercussions on a local and international scale in a short time. Positive reactions from our country and all over the world and volunteers who want to help and work together contacted our association. Most importantly, TREAD THE GLOBE organized a donation campaign thanks to the fact that Youtubers saw our work and environmental protection activities and thus our DEKAFOK Center was established on the Manavgat Bosphorus Beach.
Every day, 15,000 Turkish and 4,000 English brochures were printed and distributed as much as our budget allowed, in order to inform thousands of other local and foreign tourists who follow our center on social media, visit us at our site, and also use the beach. In addition, environmental protection information was given verbally in Turkish, English, German and Russian during the walks on the beach.
In addition, with our social responsibility projects that started a plastic bottlecap collection campaign with the Manavgat District Governorate, both the beach was cleaned of these plastic wastes and wheelchairs were purchased for our disabled citizens thanks to these caps.
For this purpose, by gifting the Turtle Figured bottlecap collection boxes to our schools in 2022, we gained the power to collect sustainable waste together with a sustainable environmental education in this regard. In this way, our association receives continuous support from schools in terms of contributing to recycling and social responsibility almost forever.
Our work is constantly featured in all national and local media outlets, thus both supporting awareness in the society and promoting DEKAFOK. For example, after being the subject of documentaries and news programs on many national channels such as TRT, it is a situation we have witnessed many times that many visitors from outside the city do not go to Manavgat without seeing DEKAFOK and the Bosphorus Beach. In addition, by taking an active role in social media, it sets an example for the whole world in terms of environment and sustainable beach use.
In the 2021 sea turtle nesting season (June-September), conservation studies were carried out in a total of approximately 2150 nests on all Manavgat beaches, working with other associations.
By including Biologist Prof.Dr.Hakan SERT from Akdeniz University, Marine Ecosystem expert Prof.Dr.Cengiz DEVAL and Ege University Fisheries expert Prof.Dr.Ertan TAŞKAVAK, we have strengthened our association academically. In this way, studies were carried out for the first time by obtaining an official Research Permit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on the approximately 10-km-long beach on the Bosphorus Coast, and tens of thousands of juvenile Caretta individuals were protected and official records were kept in 353 nests on the beach between Mendirek - Side east gate. After this study, the Research Result Report was sent to our Ministry and it was noted that out of 353 sea turtle nests detected in our observations, 346 belonged to loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) and 7 belonged to green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).
In addition to all these, conservation studies have been carried out in cooperation with the Coast Guard Gendarmerie for the Mediterranean Monk Seals, another endangered coastal species living in the Manavgat region, and whose numbers are unfortunately decreasing.
While all these conservation works were continuing, Manavgat Municipality started the "New Beach Line and Public Beach Project" in the same place. Approximately 1 km on the beach of the Municipality's Boğaz Hotel, where there was no road until then limiting tourism activity. Sand Lilies, which would be under the heavy use of construction equipment and especially under the vehicle roads and structures and thereby crushed in 2020 during the construction phase, were moved to the front of Manavgat Boğaz Hotel (approximately 6000 roots) and those close to our center, thanks to the persistent efforts of DEKAFOK, to our own Sand lily conservation areas, perhaps a first in the world, were created by saving the area (about 2450 roots).
Within the scope of the protocols we signed with the Manavgat District Directorate of National Education, in the 2021 academic year, approximately 13,000 students from primary, secondary and high school levels, including kindergartens, and approximately 4,000 students in the 2022 academic year were given various trainings within the scope of environmental activities, and information about sea turtles. Participants wre given ENVIRONMENTAL VOLUNTEER badge with the National Education Logo and a certificate of participation in environmental activities.
Activities such as environmental education, cleaning, reading books and storytelling are organized in the field, namely at the Dekafok Information Observation Center, to raise awareness of these issues in the new generations. “With the protocols and projects we have realized, with the National Education schools and Akdeniz University, many studies and activities are carried out where students from all age groups can be intertwined with nature. In this respect, our center has become an "Out of School Learning Environment" where students regularly visit National Parks, Museums and Zoos.
At the Dekafok Center; Antalya Governorship, Manavgat District Governorate, Antalya Municipality, Manavgat Municipality, provincial and district Gendarmerie teams (HAYDİ environmental protection teams, Mounted Troops), Coast Guard, Police Police Units, Akdeniz University, District National Education, District Youth and Sports, Nature Conservation National Parks, many environmental activities and environmental education activities were carried out for students.
We invited experts from state institutions in cooperation with Forestry Management, Fire Brigade, DSI, District Agriculture, Manavgat Mufti, Health Directorate, Courthouse members (Prosecutors - Judges - Lawyers). In this kind of information activity, badges bearing the logo of the institution were prepared together with the relevant institution and distributed to our students as a souvenir in order to introduce different public institutions and to raise environmental awareness.
The personnel of the hotels in our Bosphorus, Titreyengöl and Side regions were given information training on "Turtle Warning and Safety", and training was given on what personnel can and cannot do when they see Turtle adults and their offspring.
In order for the sea turtles hatchlings to survive and for them to reach the sea safely at night, in the "Manavgat Bosphorus coastline public beach project", the Manavgat Municipality was contacted for support in order to be sensitive to the environment in order to make the lights dim and red at night. In the months of July-September, which is the time of the year, the power of the lights was reduced and a red filter was applied.