Turkey is one of the leading countries in the trade of medicinal and aromatic plants. People in rural areas widely collecting plants from nature to provide additional income due to the economic return of medicinal and aromatic plants in rural areas. In contrast, the extreme collection of wild species
with wrong methods leads to the degradation of natural vegetation. Daphne (Lauris nobilis), thyme (Origanum onites), sage (Salvia triloba) are kinds of aromatic plants that are extremely collecting in important natural areas in Southwest Mentese Mountains. The lack of knowledge of local people about sustainable collection, transfer, drying, and storage of medicinal and aromatic plants and lack of awareness about protection-use balance is damaging the biological diversity of the region. In this context, the goal of the project is to establish of the necessary establishment for actualizing the legislation sustainable collection of plants and to encourage local people for agriculture of aromatic and medicinal plants to contribute the conservation of natural population. The activities of the project overlap with GEF SGP priorities about participatory conservation of ecosystems, protection of important natural areas within the framework of the sustainability policy, generating applications for the economic development of local people (mainly women).