Hosted by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks under the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, coordinated by the Ankara University National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM), and implemented with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme Global Environment Facility 8th Cycle (GEF-8), the ‘’Gap Analysis Workshop Program’’ within the scope of the ‘’Umbrella Programme to Support the Updating of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and the Preparation of the 7th National Report’’ was held on 20-22 May 2026 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Ankara with wide participation from public institutions and organizations, the private sector, academia, and non-governmental organizations.
The opening remarks of the workshop were delivered by DEHUKAM CEO Dr. Mustafa Başkara and Deputy Director General of Nature Conservation and National Parks Ergül Terzioğlu. Throughout the three-day program, valuable presentations regarding the biodiversity vision were delivered by experts in their respective fields. In this context, Prof. Dr. Herdem Aslan, Büşra Deniz, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ferda Karagöz, and Barış Çarıkcı made their presentations during the first-day sessions, while Neslihan Öziçli, Head of the Department of Biological Diversity and Ecosystem Services at the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, delivered her presentation during the third-day sessions. Furthermore, within the framework of good practice examples, presentations sharing sectoral experiences were carried out by the representatives of TANAP, Kazan Soda Elektrik Üretim A.Ş., and ENERJİSA Enerji A.Ş.
Within the scope of the gap analysis studies, the participants were divided into 18 different tables and made evaluations under the moderation of an expert academician at each table. In these thematic table studies, where the current situation was discussed with its positive and negative aspects through multi-stakeholder participation, priority outputs were produced that will guide our country’s biodiversity strategy. The workshop concluded with the celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity during a special session held on May 22.
In line with the Century of Türkiye vision, with the goal of a strong Türkiye that protects nature, safeguards ecosystems, sustainably manages natural resources, and transfers its biological wealth to future generations, we hope that the obtained outputs will be beneficial for our country’s biodiversity strategies and action plans.
