The Integration of Economic Principles into Planning Process of Marine and Coastal Protection Areas Workshop

“Turkey has the largest protection areas in the Mediterranean”

“The Integration of Economic Principles into Planning Process of Marine and Coastal Protection Areas Workshop” was held in Ankara on March 23 2011. The aim of the workshop was to demonstrate the range and importance of ecosystem goods and services provided by marine and coastal protected areas and to develop practical tools and approaches for integrating these services into marine planning and decision making processes. EPASA President Ahmet Özyanık underlined that Turkey is the country, which has the largest protection areas in the Mediterranean, in his opening speech.

“This fire should last”

Mr Özyanık said that the “Strengthening Marine and Coastal Protected Area Network of Turkey Project” functions as “a lighter to start a fire towards strengthening the sensitivity in this field.”Ahmet Özyanık said “We should work continuously to make sure this fire lasts forever”. Özyan?k mentioned that Turkey has the required infrastructure to develop the “Strengthening Marine and Coastal Protected Area Network of Turkey Project”.

A total of 76 representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs participated in the workshop along with the officials from the Undersecretariat for Maritime Affairs, the General Directorate for Nature Conservation and National Parks, the General Directorate of Forestry, EPASA, UNDP Turkey, universities and the related NGOs.

Presentations and evaluations were delivered at the workshop about coastal and marine ecosystem services and products, the rationale and the importance for evaluating them, the integration of the economic principles into planning and the planning case study for the Datça-Bozburun SEPA.