KuzeyDoğa

Description

KuzeyDoğa Derneği is a Turkish nature conservation association based in Kars, in the far east of the country. It grew out of the Kars-Iğdır Biodiversity Project started in 2003 by biologist Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, and was formally founded in January 2008. It is accredited under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The association carries out scientific research on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and uses the data for conservation work that benefits both wildlife and local communities. Its main focus is monitoring migratory birds; researchers have documented more than 320 bird species in the region, over 70 percent of all species ever recorded in Turkey. It has run bird ringing stations on the Aras River and at Lake Kuyucuk, fitting birds with geolocators and satellite transmitters.

KuzeyDoğa also studies large carnivores, tracking brown bears, gray wolves and Caucasian lynx with GPS collars in partnership with Zagreb University; in 2011 it became the first organization to track wolves in Turkey. Its proposals led the government to create the country’s first wildlife corridor in northeastern Anatolia in 2012. The association helped Lake Kuyucuk gain designation as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2009 and carries out wetland restoration there and at Kafkas University.

Other work includes nature education for children and young people, ethnobotany research, and the development of bird and wildlife ecotourism in eastern Turkey. The association operates in Kars, Ardahan, Iğdır and Ağrı provinces with teams of international academics, experts and volunteers, and is funded by private donations, the Turkish government, the United Nations and international conservation groups.