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Sustainable Tourism Programme facilities that have been awarded certificates for compliance
with all criteria are also promoted on GoTurkey, Türkiye’s official tourism platform.

C.1.3.3. Legally Protected Marine Areas

The decision of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to include the protecti-
on of the Mediterranean Sea among its priority objectives resulted in the establishment of the
Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) in 1975 with the participation of the riparian countries and
the EU. The Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution (Barcelo-
na Convention), which was prepared to form the legal basis for the activities to be carried out
within the framework of the MAP, was opened for signature in Barcelona on 16 February 1976. In
1995, the Barcelona Convention was extended to cover the coastal areas as well as the marine
environment, the name of the Convention was changed to “Convention for the Protection of
the Marine Environment and Coastal Regions of the Mediterranean” and entered into force on
9 June 2004.

Türkiye became a party to the new version of the Barcelona Convention in 2002, which was ra-
tified by the Council of Ministers on 7.12.1980. The “Protocol Concerning Mediterranean Specially
Protected Areas”, which is one of the protocols annexed to this convention, was renewed as the
“Protocol on Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean” and its
content was expanded.

In this framework, the areas named below are legally protected marine areas that have been
declared as Special Environmental Protection Areas. Detailed information on these areas is given
in the section “E.3.1. Special Environmental Protection Zones”.

y Belek Special Environmental Protection Area
y Datça–Bozburun Special Environmental Protection Area
y Foça Special Environmental Protection Area

y Gökova Special Environmental Protection Area
y Fethiye–Göcek Special Environmental Protection Area
y Kaş–Kekova Special Environmental Protection Area

y Göksu Delta Special Environmental Protection Area
y Köyceğiz–Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area
y Saros Bay Special Environmental Protection Area

y Patara Special Environmental Protection Area
y Finike Seamounts Special Environmental Protection Area
y Karaburun–Ildır Bay Special Environmental Protection Area

y Marmara Sea and Islands Special Environmental Protection Area
C.1.3.4. Integrated Pollution Monitoring in Seas

In order to protect the seas against pollution, starting from the 1970s, coastal countries have de-
veloped joint research programmes and signed agreements. The first joint initiative for the Me-
diterranean countries was the signing of the Barcelona Convention for the reduction of polluti-
on and the implementation of the International Programme for the Assessment and Control of
Marine Pollution in the Mediterranean (MEDPOL) was accepted. Similar efforts were developed
by the Black Sea neighbouring countries and the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan was prepared
and the Black Sea Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (BSIMAP) was established
within this scope. Within the framework of these programmes, the countries parties are obliged

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