You can’t fly very far in Turkey without spotting a HasNa project.

“Natural Histories: A journey into the shadow of Ararat,” appears in the October 24, 2011 edition of The New Yorker and follows avid birdwatcher Çağan Şekercioğlu, founder and president of the Turkish environmental NGO KuzeyDoğa. One of HasNa’s partners in eastern Turkey, KuzeyDoğa works to prevent species extinction and ecosystem collapse while ensuring that humans also benefit from wildlife conservation.

The feature mentions HasNa’s ecotourism projects implemented by KuzeyDoğa around Lake Kuyucuk in Kars, Turkey. These projects in 2010 and 2011 trained local residents in environmental protection, conservation of natural resources, conflict resolution, hospitality, and other aspects of ecotourism. The most recent of these trainings helped 20 Turkish women from diverse backgrounds attain the management skills necessary to run bed and breakfasts in the region in order to attract more domestic and international tourism.  Elif Batuman’s article in The New Yorker describes the many socioeconomic challenges that remain in the region, but projects such as these provide hope for real environmental and economic improvement.

By highlighting these efforts, the article shows that advancing sustainable and inclusive development in the region is a shared goal. Through our relationships in the U.S, Turkey, Cyprus, and beyond, HasNa aims to make this goal a reality. When it comes to building peace, saving habitats, and improving livelihoods, birds of a feather do flock together.

To read a preview of the article online, click here!