The closing meeting of the "Project for Updating the National Action Plan for the Protection of Our Seas against Land-Based Pollutants", which started on June 13, 2016 with the protocol signed between the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, General Directorate of Environmental Management and TÜBİTAK MAM Environment and Cleaner Production Institute, was held in Ankara on January 25, 2018.
The opening speeches of the meeting were delivered by Mr. Recep AKDENİZ, Deputy Director General of Environmental Management and Selma AYAZ, Director of TÜBİTAK MAM ÇTÜR. Mr. Recep AKDENİZ, Deputy Director General, stated that within the framework of the Barcelona and Bucharest Conventions, which are the Regional Marine Conventions of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, our country is responsible for monitoring, evaluating and taking necessary measures to prevent pollution from land-based pollutants together with other party countries, and in this context, it coordinates studies with universities, non-governmental organizations and research institutions for the protection of our country's coasts and seas.
During the meeting, studies on the Obligations of the Barcelona and Bucharest Conventions on Land-Based Pollutants and the Assessment of the Outputs of the Thematic Working Group on Urban, Industrial and Agriculture were presented.
Participants from the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, TÜBİTAK MAM Environment and Cleaner Production Institute, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs, Ministry of Health and other relevant Ministries, universities, NGOs, Provincial Directorates of Environment and Urbanization and Metropolitan Municipalities in coastal provinces.
With the project; the "National Action Plan on Land Based Pollutants" prepared in 2005 within the framework of the regional maritime conventions to which Turkey is a party has been updated to include the improvements and developments recorded in the period from 2005 to the present day, taking into account the holistic environmental management approach and ecosystem-based approach emerging with the EU directives, and in this context, the updated National Action Plan will be a guiding guide for the protection of our country's marine environment as a national marine pollution control and prevention policy tool.
In addition, this Project aims to identify the current status of land-based pollution and national targets and to identify the priorities, measures and investments required to address the gap between them. The updated National Action Plan provides a strong national marine pollution control and prevention policy instrument and an important contribution to the development of a strategic plan for sustainable development.