Even though Ayval?k Islands Nature Park, established in 1995, hosts significant terrestrial and marine biodiversity features both on national and Northern Aegean geographic region scales in Turkey, its conservation status as ?Nature Park? is not widely known and acknowledged either locally and regionally. Schools that are located in Ayval?k town and its surrounding settlements do not make active use of the nature park which provides a creative space for interdisciplinary educational purposes, almost a living nature laboratory. However, the educational vision set for 2023 by the Turkish Ministry of National Education states that ?greater focus will be placed on activities aimed at helping children discover the production capacity, culture, arts, and geographic characteristics of their own regions, along with learning about their region?s plant and animal species? and encourages that they spend increasingly more time outside of their classrooms.

The main reason why the natural habitats and biodiversity within Ayval?k Islands Nature Park are not being used first hand for applying the national educational programs is that school teachers and other educational specialists do not have enough practical knowledge on educational methods using nature as a classroom. The current project, named ?Ayval?k Islands Nature Park: A Living Classroom,? aims fundamentally at developing an awareness raising infrastructure about Ayval?k Islands? endemic and rare species (both marine and terrestrial) at various national and Mediterranean basin scales, through a mentor educational program. The overall objective of the project is to encourage outdoor education in the primary and middle schools in Ayval?k and its surroundings. For this, it is intended to develop a practical outdoor education program that can be applied by locally selected, mentor teachers regarding the species and habitats that Ayval?k Islands Nature Park hosts on the basis of existing knowledge basis.