Using the oral history method, this project will collect the nature-related memories of elderly people living in the villages of the Ula district in the province of Mu?la. The project will result in the publication of a booklet comprising the natural memoirs of the elderly. Over 100-year-old red pines populate the forests of the Ula district. The elderly women and men of this region, which has not seen a fire in a very long time, have extensive understanding of the tradition of living in harmony with environmental protection. The oral history approach is an alternative to official history that is used to document the past. It is an effective approach of collecting, documenting, and evaluating data, particularly for recording the data of people who are a part of fast shifting socioeconomic relationships. The old peasants on whom the project focuses are the keepers and agents of local knowledge on the region?s ancient biodiversity, forest protection, methods for fighting forest fires, agriculture, and seasonal cycles.
The final publication will intersect with the GEF SGP priorities along five fundamental dimensions. 1. Recording the nature-related memories of the elderly shows sustainable lifestyle choices. In this regard, it will contribute permanently to the preservation of biological variety. 2. It will document the effects of climate change on day-to-day life in a particular region of the Mediterranean Basin. It describes the strategies used in the past and now to use energy sparingly and effectively. 3. It will reveal the most illustrative experiences of locals who have coexisted with the forest for ages. It will contribute to sustainable forest management in this regard. 4. The experiences of the elderly, who have been the carrier of local knowledge for generations, such as animal husbandry, gardening, agriculture and forest care are recorded. In this respect, this publication will directly contribute to the human empowerment of the local people and their struggle against possible poverty. 5. The elderly women, as owners and carriers of significant knowledge, will be considered initiative-takers and decision-makers. Considering women as subjects of life will promote gender equality.