Issue: 58
Located in north eastern Turkey, the Çoruh river is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the world. The valley surrounding the river harbours the climatic conditions of the Black Sea, Mediterranean, and Central Anatolia, and thanks to limited human activity, its natural riches have been well preserved. Aside from being home to a great variety of animal and plant species, Çoruh Valley is also an important highway for over 200 bird species, migrating between the Caucuses and Anatolia regions. Enthusiasts were able to see the at the third Bird-Watching Festival organized in the scope of the Eastern Anatolia Tourism Project (TDEAP) on 1-3 October 2010.
The three-day festival hosted activities such as a photo exhibition at the Uzundere Pehlivanlı camping site, watching predatory birds with guides at the Uzundere-Kılıçkaya passage, photographing birds, butterflies and plants, and grizzly bear-watching at night.
Çoruh Valley remains the most important flyway for bird migration on Eastern Black Sea mountains. During migration in the spring and fall, tens of thousands of migratory raptors pass through the region.
A magnificent bird density is observed over the valley, especially in the fall between 20th August and 20th October. Being able to take in the incredible view of thousands of birds from up-close, flying over the valley every day makes for an unmatched experience for bird watchers. Spring migration takes place in April and May and the tweets of singing birds offer a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.
Infamous for its natural beauty and cultural heritage, the Çoruh valley has been visited thousands of tourists so far. Since 2007, the region has hosted bird, butterfly and bear watchers, bio-diversity enthusiasts and trekking and rafting fans who have contributed to the revenue generated from tourism. In order to accommodate both local and foreign tourists, the residents have received various types of training on pension management, camping and trekking guidance.
In efforts to encourage entrepreneurship, pension management courses were provided to local residents by organizing field trips to more conventional tourism destinations in the Aegean and Mediterranean. In 2008, 38 people, of whom 21 were female, attended the Pension Capacity Development field trip. Following the training 18 new pensions have opened for business in the past year, most of these being managed by women.
In addition to pension management training, the project pioneered many firsts in Turkey. For instance, inventories mapping the region’s flora and fauna were developed and used in promotional campaigns which increased the number of tour groups visiting the area. Turkey’s first regional guide on birds called “The Birds of the Çoruh Valley” was published and a Bird Watch Festival was organised in 2007. Furthermore, Turkey’s first mountain bike track covering Uzundere – Bağbaşı – İspir – Yusufeli - Ayder was outlined and marked on the map. In the spring of 2009, the number of rafting groups preferring the Çoruh river increased by 200%, contributing to the World Rafting Federation to choose Turkey to host the 2010 Official European Championship.
The Eastern Anatolia Tourism Development Project aims to build a demonstrative model for regional/rural development strategies. The Eastern Anatolia Region, more specifically Çoruh Valley is being revived to develop income generating sectors that will be an alternative to agriculture increasing the income of residents in the region. The development of tourism activities in Çoruh, will serve an example to other areas in the often neglected Eastern Anatolia Region.
PAN Parks network encompasses national parks which set examples with their rich wildlife and efficient management. These parks are awarded with a PAN Parks certificate.
Küre Mountains National Park is expected to receive the PAN Parks certificate by the end of 2011.
Efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, UNDP and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Turkey in the scope of Enhancing Forest Protected Areas Management System in Turkey project, supported by the Global Environment Facility have contributed greatly on the way for this certificate.
The project team received the good news at the 9th Europe’s Wilderness Days Conference held at Georgia’s Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park between 4-8 September 2010.
As a result of the progress based on the work so far, representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and PAN Parks administrators, have reached a an agreement to issue the certificate by the end of 2011.
To reach the goal of becoming a certified park, a roadmap was identified and a work plan was developed.
The roadmap
The work plan developed in the framework of the roadmap to be finalized towards in October 2011, includes a pre-verification, the finalization of the management plan for Küre Mountains National Park, field visits by PAN Parks experts and independent auditors, the preparation of reports and the official application.
Efforts to comply with PAN Parks membership principles have been continiuing at the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks since 2005.
These efforts comprise of better protection of natural resources, the preparation of a National Park management plan, improving the necessary infrastructure and park management for visitors and complying with PAN Parks membership criteria.
Management Plan for the National Park is under preparation as part of Enhancing Forest Protected Areas Management System in Turkey project, where UNDP is the implementing partner.
A sustainable tourism strategy and a visitor management plan are currently being prepared in the scope of the management plan along with the necessary infrastructure for visitors.
Necessary criteria
PAN Parks was established by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Molecaten Group.
Parks eligible for this network need to adhere to the following five principles: a large protected area and prime example of Europe's natural heritage that conserve international important wildlife and ecosystems; design and management of the PAN Park shall aim to maintain and, if necessary, restore the area's natural ecological processes and biodiversity; visitor management plan; a sustainable tourism development strategy as well as establishing PAN Parks’ tourism-related business partnerships in the area.
Parks with this certificate are part of a protected area composed of independently certified national parks across Europe, which offer visitors a well protected natural area and high quality services.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded PIMS 1988: Enhancing Forest Protected Areas Management System in Turkey project is implemented by UNDP Turkey; and executed by Ministry of Environment and Forestry, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, and General Directorate of Forestry. The World Wide Fund Nature (WWF) Turkey, General Directorate of Afforestation and Erosion Control, and General Directorate for Forest-Village Relations are project partners.
The project aims to create a model to enhance nature conservation and sustainable resource management in Küre Mountains National Park and its buffer zone, and disseminate this model to other 8 forest hotspots in Turkey.
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A set of seven brochures were prepared in partnership with the UN Joint Programme’s national partner Ministry of Culture and Tourism to raise public awareness on the legislative and normative framework for the safeguarding of cultural heritage in Turkey. The brochures contain detailed information on museums, sponsorship and incentives, excavations, illegal trafficking of historical works, restoration of cultural assets, legal framework for the preservation of cultural assets.
Although prepared in the scope of the UN Joint Programme, each brochure targets a different stakeholder. Museums and historical artifacts, the added value of protecting immovable cultural assets, excavations to uncover historical artifacts, providing assistance to repairing and maintaining cultural assets, how to apply, what to do when a historical artifact is discovered and support provided by the Ministry of Culture Tourism to preserve cultural assets are the main issues that can be found in the informative brochures.
The brochures will be distributed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and will soon be available on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s and UN Joint Programme’s websites.
United Nations Joint Program “Alliances for Culture Tourism in Eastern Anatolia” (UNJP) aims at developing and enhancing cultural tourism in Kars, contributing to social cohesion and reducing income disparities between the people of Kars and the rest of Turkey. The UNJP is funded by the MDG Achievement Fund entrusted to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) by the Government of Spain, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and United Nations Organisations UNDP, UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization).
Photographs taken in the scope of Come on Girls Let’s Take Pictures, were exhibited at the contest’s awars ceremony at Istanbul’s Bahçeşehir University on 28 September 2010.
The Come on Girls, Let’s Take Pictures project aims to increase the awareness among primary level school girls and their families on climate change adaptation and the environment for them to pass on their knowledge to forthcoming generations. Situated in Niğde’s Çamardı province, photography classes were provided to 25 successful young girls of low-income families in the region allowing them to recognize and document the rapidly changing face of the river basin. Perceiving themselves as part of nature, the girls can now observe climate change in Cimbar Valley, Maden Straight, Kazıklıali Valley, Emli Valley and Büyük Mangırcı Valley with the diligence of a visor.
Jury member Coşkun Aral, a renonwned Turkish journalist who also shot the documentary film on adaptatation to climate change in the Seyhan River Basin in the scope of Enhancing the Capacity of Turkey to Adapt to Climate Change UN Joint Programme, said it is remarkable for 7-14 year old girls to document universal issues such as climate change in such a short period of time through the language of photography using their little cameras.
Launched in the scope of Enhancing the Capacity of Turkey to Adapt to Climate Change UN Joint Programme in 2009, Adaptation to Cliamte Change in the Seyhan River Basin Grant Programme aims to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, benefit from its positive effects and ensure that the Millennium Development Goals are met. With the grants programme a total of 18 projects (12 in Adana, 4 in Kayseri and 2 in Niğde) that will improve the climate change capaciries of people and institutions in the Seyhan Basin are supported. Aiming to develop capacity and raise awareness on adaptation to climate change in the long run, the projects will develop accurate agricultural techniques, ensure food security, identify flood risks, use alternative irrigation techniques and prevent rising sea levels.
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The summit concluded with the adoption of a global action plan to achieve the eight anti-poverty goals by their 2015 target date and the announcement of major new commitments for women’s and children’s health and other initiatives against poverty, hunger and disease.
UNDP’s official, high-level side event, focused on accelerating progress on achieving the MDGs. Presidents of Colombia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Togo - three pilot countries where the MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) has been put into practice with considerable success – spoke at the event to share valuable experiences and lessons learned.
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said “UNDP can play a central role in helping countries follow through on the call from the Summit to accelerate MDG progress in the coming years. Now we must support countries to turn the evidence of what works into actions which will accelerate MDG progress. To do this, we will need to make the most of the momentum, resolve, and determination conveyed by world leaders at the MDG Summit.”
The outcome document of the three-day Summit – Keeping the Promise: United to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals – reaffirms world leaders’ commitment to the MDGs and sets out a concrete action agenda for achieving the Goals by 2015. Based on examples of success and lessons learned over the last ten years, the document spells out specific steps to be taken by all stakeholders to accelerate progress on each of the eight Goals. It also affirms that, despite setbacks due to the economic and financial crises, remarkable progress has been made on fighting poverty, increasing school enrolment and improving health in many countries, and the Goals remain achievable.
In a major push to accelerate progress on women’s and children’s health, a number of Heads of State and Government from developed and developing countries, along with the private sector, foundations, international organizations, civil society and research organizations, pledged over $40 billion in resources over the next five years. The Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health – a concerted worldwide effort initiated by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – has the potential of saving the lives of more than 16 million women and children, preventing 33 million unwanted pregnancies, protecting 120 million children from pneumonia and 88 million children from stunting due to malnutrition, advancing the control of deadly diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, and ensuring access for women and children to quality health facilities and skilled health workers. “We know what works to save women’s and children’s lives, and we know that women and children are critical to all of the MDGs,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “Today we are witnessing the kind of leadership we have long needed.” For the detailed list of commitments for the $40 billion in resources pledged for the Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, visit www.un.org/sg/globalstrategy.
In addition, a number of other significant commitments on each of the eight Goals were made by Governments, international organizations and partners as well as by business representatives at the Private Sector Forum organized by the UN Global Compact. Development partners such as the World Bank, private sector representatives including Monster.com, Dell, UPS, ExxonMobil, and various governments including the Republic of Korea, Chile, Canada, France, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States and the European Union pledged to increase aid to reach the MDGs. In India, for instance, LifeSpring Hospitals committed to provide an estimated 82,000 women and their families with access to quality healthcare. Belgium pledged €400,000 for the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2011.
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Participants, ranging from teenagers with cell phones to Academy-Award nominated documentarians using the latest HD cameras, will film the world from their own perspective. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with “One Day on Earth” to help the project reach participants in 100 countries with low bandwidth, making it a truly global initiative.
“One Day on Earth” currently has a growing number of thousands of filmmakers and inspired citizens representing over 190 countries.
The results of this unique collage documenting the countless stories of triumph, tragedy, hope and fear that take place each and every day, will be made into a feature-length documentary to be released next year. In addition, all the footage shot as part of the project will be publicly available via an innovative online searchable archive. The scope and range of this material will provide an invaluable resource: a database of films that deal with some of the most important issues facing our global community.
UNDP Field Offices will provide logistical support at local and regional levels, including the collecting of video data in areas of low bandwidth. With the distribution of 120 HD cameras provided by "One Day on Earth", UNDP fieldworkers in many different countries, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Rwanda, Sudan and Uruguay, will have the opportunity to participate directly in the project. UNDP staff participants will film their work, their colleagues and their communities, providing a vibrant and immediate glimpse into the organization’s vital development work and its impact on people’s lives. As the countdown to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 continues, their contribution through “One Day on Earth” will highlight the challenges and obstacles they face in working to achieve the Goals.
“The MDGs are not just aspirational goals. They are about improving people’s lives by reducing poverty and hunger; empowering women; increasing access to the essential services of education, healthcare, clean water and sanitation,” said Stéphane Dujarric, Director of Communications at UNDP. “The One Day on Earth project offers a key opportunity to personify these issues to the international community, as well as spark a dialogue to create a greater global consciousness.”
“One Day On Earth” will also reach over 450,000 students in 64 countries through the distribution of free digital educational toolkits on media literacy. The United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), the UN Department for Public Information and the UN Academic Impact programme —which links over 320 universities in 70 countries— will contribute as well. Vimeo, a video sharing site that provides a platform for people to host and share their videos in high quality, is providing the necessary bandwidth to host the “One Day on Earth” archive, as well as promoting the project to its online community of over four million registered users.
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