Located on the Black Sea coast, the Turkish province of Samsun is a unique landscape made up of forests, wetlands, deltas and agroecosystems. Samsun is home to 173 endemic species, as well as multiple endangered species, making it a priority for conservation and sustainable development efforts. Different types of protected areas are present within the area including wildlife reserves, nature parks, and wetlands of national importance.

Samsun is recognized for its rich biodiversity and cultural heritage, including the valuable traditional ecological knowledge of its local communities. These communities, along with local and regional institutions such as cooperatives, local government, conservation organizations, and universities, provide a foundation for collaboration and broader adoption of sustainable practices in Samsun.

Samsun wetland landscape/Yolda Initiative

The area between the Bafra and Çarşamba districts of Samsun Province was selected as the target landscape/seascape for Phase 4 of the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative Programme (COMDEKS), being implemented the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (SGP) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The selection of Samsun region builds on several successful SGP initiatives in the region particularly those focusing on locally-led water buffalo, waterfowl and wetland management.

With COMDEKS funding, in 2024 the Yolda Initiative conducted extensive stakeholder consultations and baseline assessments to evaluate the socio-ecological resilience of the Samsun landscape. One of the highlights of the baseline assessment process was its ability to bring together the diverse experiences and perspectives of community members and stakeholders to co-create the Samsun landscape strategy.

Baseline assessment and strategy development/Yolda Initiative

Five priorities were identified to address the challenges of pollution, intensive irrigation, unsustainable agriculture, aquaculture and hydrological practices in Samsun, these include:
     1. Improving ecosystem services and reducing land degradation through sustainable land management.
     2. Strengthening socio-ecological resilience by integrating sustainable traditional and innovative practices.
     3. Improving knowledge exchange and transfer of local and traditional knowledge.
     4. Supporting communities’ livelihoods and well-being through nature-based solutions.
     5. Building institutional and community capacity for participatory planning, conservation and landscape management.

In January 2025, SGP Türkiye approved six new projects to address these priorities. One initiative focuses on reducing agricultural pollution and protecting the Kizilirmak Delta, a locally significant RAMSAR site, by working with young farmers to implement innovative farming practices to protect ecosystem integrity. Another examines the interactions between local wildlife – such as the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), the grey-headed swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus), and the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) – and agricultural and fishing practices, aiming to develop practical solutions to reduce wildlife and land use conflicts. Led by women and youth, the Change-Makers Samsun project, is an advocacy and awareness project which promotes integrated nature and climate solutions in the Bafra and Çarşamba districts. Other projects focus on enhancing fisherwomen’s livelihoods, knowledge-sharing, and the role of digital tools in promoting sustainability as a complement to traditional conservation methods.

Societies in harmony with nature
Launched in 2011 as a flagship programme of the Satoyama Initiative, COMDEKS is a global effort to promote the sustainable use of natural resources in landscapes and seascapes with local communities whose livelihoods and cultural heritage depend on them. It provides small-scale finance through SGP directly to local communities, Indigenous Peoples and civil society to implement locally-led projects that improve livelihoods and well-being, conserve biodiversity, address climate change, build resilience and support local cultures and traditional practices. Launched in 2022, COMDEKS Phase 4 is funded by the Ministry of the Environment Japan and the Keidanren Nature Conservation Council and is implemented by the SGP.

Water buffalo in Kizilirmak Delta, a locally significant RAMSAR site/ Yolda Initiative