Ministry launches project to open 100 new public beaches

ANKARA

The Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry has announced a new project aimed at opening 100 new beaches for public use, funded by revenue generated from the installation of mooring buoys for yachts.

The initiative, part of the ministry's "The Seas are for the People" project, seeks to remove barriers that prevent citizens from accessing the sea.

Accordingly, it also includes the demolition of illegal structures on beaches, a process that has already started in Ayvalık, a popular holiday destination in Balıkesir.

The newly opened beaches will be managed by MUÇEV, a partnership established in 2014 between the Muğla Service Foundation and the ministry-affiliated Turkish Environmental Protection Foundation.

Ministry officials said these beaches will require significant investment in infrastructure such as showers, toilets, sewage and water services. However, these will not be subcontracted through tenders but will be operated directly by the ministry to minimize costs.

To fund these developments, the ministry will allocate a portion of the revenue from a new mooring buoy system designed for yachts and boats. This system will be piloted in Göcek, a resort town in Muğla's Fethiye district.

The pilot project involves installing 700 mooring buoys spaced 50 meters apart, aimed at preventing yachts and boats from damaging marine life and indiscriminately discharging waste into the sea.

The buoys will be connected to vaults on the seabed, allowing yachts to moor systematically according to appointments made via a mobile application. Waste from yachts will be collected at designated points, with fees imposed for waste disposal.

Strict fines will be enforced for those who dump waste into the sea uncontrollably.

As part of the environmental and marine ecosystem protection project, an advisory board will be established to include input from regional nongovernmental organizations. Following the pilot project's success, the ministry plans to expand the initiative nationwide.