Integrated Natural Resource Management in Very Humid Climatic Regions of Eastern Black Sea Coastal Region (EBSLM) Project, which aims to expand environmentally friendly and sustainable land management in the Eastern Black Sea Region, officially began with a kick-off workshop held on April 15, 2025, at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Conference Hall in Rize province.

The EBSLM Project is being implemented under the coordination of the General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion within the T.C Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, in collaboration with relevant public institutions. The project, financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is implemented by the Nature Conservation Center (DKM) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

A project that will shape the region's future

The EBSLM Project aims to develop low-cost, nature-based solutions to land management problems, particularly the degradation of tea plantations in the region. The project will help reduce land degradation, adapt to climate change, and protect biodiversity.

The opening speeches of the workshop were made by Rize Governor İhsan Selim Baydaş, Rize Mayor Rahmi Metin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Rector Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yılmaz, General Director of Combating Desertification and Erosion Prof. Dr. Kasım Yenigün, UNDP Turkey Deputy Resident Representative Miodrag Dragisic, and Nature Conservation Center Chairman of the Board Dr. Uğur Zeydanlı.

Opening remarks addressed the unique characteristics and challenges of Rize and the Eastern Black Sea Region, while emphasizing the importance of sustainable land management. Prof. Dr. Kasım Yenigün, General Director of Combating Desertification and Erosion, stated that the project would serve as a significant example in combating the increasing disaster risks caused by climate change, highlighting that this project incorporates experience from previous land degradation neutrality and sustainable land management projects. He also emphasized that the project offers a scientifically based, region-specific implementation model that fosters collaboration among the public, academia, the private sector, and civil society.

Miodrag Dragisic, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Turkey, stated that the project will significantly contribute to the region in preventing land degradation and adapting to climate change through nature-based solutions. As UNDP, he expressed his great pleasure in working with national and local stakeholders and supporting a science-based, participatory model to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through this project.

Dr. Uğur Zeydanlı, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nature Conservation Center, stated that the project will support farmers in combating the negative effects of climate change. He emphasized that the goal is to present cost-effective, nature-based solutions combined with technology and traditional knowledge.

At the workshop, which was attended by around one hundred people from twenty-three institutions, problems and opportunities related to sustainable land management in the region were discussed together.

An exemplary model for sustainable land management in high-rainfall regions

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Pilot projects will be conducted in a 430-hectare micro basin encompassing the Kireçhane neighborhood of Salarha Municipality, Rize. The findings and experiences obtained will be integrated into agriculture, forestry, and land management practices in the Eastern Black Sea Region.