Yolda Initiative (Yolda Girişimi) is an international conservation organisation working to protect biodiversity and address climate change in close collaboration with local communities.
With the support of the Turquoise Coast Environment Fund (TCEF), launched in collaboration with the Conservation Collective and the Support Foundation for Civil Society (Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı), Yolda carried out the project “Bridging Seas and Societies: Saros Bay Conservation and Restoration Planning,” developing a participatory action plan to protect Saros Bay’s marine biodiversity while supporting sustainable small-scale fisheries.
Read our interview below to learn more about the project’s origins, multi-stakeholder approach, and its contribution to long-term marine conservation in the Aegean.
Can you introduce your organisation, its mission, and main areas of work?
Founded in 2015, Yolda Initiative is an international conservation organisation working to protect biodiversity and address climate change through scientific research, advocacy, field conservation, communications, and partnerships.
Grounded in the understanding that humanity—across its full cultural diversity—is an integral part of ecological systems, Yolda focuses on sustainable terrestrial and marine land-use models that support biodiversity and climate action in solidarity with local communities.
Yolda is a member of Together for the Med (TGFM), a regional network working to reduce the impacts of fisheries on Mediterranean marine biodiversity. The organisation also coordinates the Alliance for Mediterranean Nature and Culture (AMNC), bringing together 13 organisations, and is a member of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI). In addition, Yolda holds observer status under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
How did the idea for this project emerge, and which social and environmental challenges did you initially aim to address?
The marine and coastal ecosystems of the Aegean Sea are critically important for biodiversity and small-scale fisheries. However, despite facing similar pressures, these two domains are often addressed separately.
To bridge this gap, we carried out a two-year participatory marine spatial prioritisation process with all relevant stakeholders, integrating biodiversity conservation with sustainable small-scale fisheries.
The assessment identified priority areas where conservation action and investment would have the greatest impact—areas critical for biodiversity and fisheries, under high threat, and historically underserved. The findings clearly highlighted Saros Bay as the most urgent priority.
This represented a clear call for Yolda to take responsibility in Saros Bay, leading to the development of a participatory Conservation and Restoration Action Plan to safeguard both biodiversity and sustainable small-scale fisheries.
Yolda focuses on sustainable terrestrial and marine land-use models that support biodiversity and climate action in solidarity with local communities.
You recently completed the project “Bridging Seas and Societies: Saros Bay Conservation and Restoration Planning.” Canyou describe its objectives, activities, and key challenges?
The main goal of the project was to develop a comprehensive Conservation and Restoration Action Plan for Saros Bay, addressing biodiversity and small-scale fisheries within an integrated framework.
We conducted a literature review and stakeholder analysis, followed by fieldwork and consultations with small-scale fishers, public authorities, civil society organisations, and academics. A multi-stakeholder workshop with 39 experts helped identify key threats and co-develop solutions.
The primary challenge was aligning diverse stakeholder priorities and analysing interconnected threats. We addressed this through a genuinely participatory process, close collaboration with academic experts, and trust-based relationships with fishers. Despite rising costs, we adjusted the budget and allocated additional core funding to achieve all objectives.
As a result, we produced a science-based, practical, and multi-actor roadmap, laying a strong foundation for the long-term protection of the ecosystem and sustainable fisheries.
Your project became part of an international network through the EU’s “Restore Our Ocean & Waters” mission and Mediterranean-scale collaborations. How did these connections contribute to the project, and what are your next steps for Saros Bay?
Recognition under the EU’s Restore Our Ocean and Waters Mission provided strong international legitimacy. Partnerships developed through the project enabled knowledge exchange, joint research, and collaboration on conservation and restoration actions, while also strengthening international visibility and advocacy.
Looking ahead, our priority is to begin implementing the action plan in Saros Bay. This includes detailed planning and fieldwork to protect and restore seagrass meadows and coral communities, support sustainable small-scale fisheries, address key threats, and deepen international partnerships as part of a long-term programme.
At Yolda, we prioritise conservation policies that are inclusive, participatory, and aligned with local realities.
How did the multi-stakeholder process contribute to shared learning, and how does this approach influence regional conservation policy?
At Yolda, we prioritise conservation policies that are inclusive, participatory, and aligned with local realities. Throughout the project, we brought together relevant actors to jointly assess experiences, knowledge, and needs, strengthening both the content and practicality of the action plan.
The multi-actor process—uniting small-scale fishers, public institutions, academics, and civil society—created a strong platform for shared learning and mutual understanding. It enabled threats and solutions to be jointly defined and strengthened stakeholders’ capacity for collective action.
As a result, the plan goes beyond a scientific framework, representing a locally grounded and implementable roadmap shaped by active participation. We believe this approach has contributed to more coordinated, inclusive, and long-term conservation efforts in Saros Bay.
How would you explain the project’s impact to potential supporters? Can you illustrate this impact through a story?
One clear example of impact is how a local story from Saros Bay reached the global stage. In collaboration with international partners, we contributed to a special session at the United Nations Ocean Conference, featuring a video presenting the state of small-scale fisheries through the voices of fishers and experts.
The video included fishers and experts from Saros Bay recorded during our fieldwork. Fishers spoke candidly about increasing challenges, while expressing hope for recovery and willingness to be part of solutions. The strong engagement the video received showed that their voices resonated not only locally but also regionally and internationally.
This demonstrates how participatory, multi-actor conservation—grounded in real community experiences—can generate meaningful awareness and tangible impact.
