KuzeyDoğa
KuzeyDoğa is a Turkish conservation organization focused on biodiversity research, wildlife corridors, migratory birds, wetlands, and ecological education in northeastern Anatolia.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
KuzeyDoğa, whose name means “Northeastern Nature,” is a Turkish conservation organization working primarily in the far eastern part of the country. Its principal geographic focus extends from the eastern Black Sea region toward Mount Ağrı, with major field activity in Kars, Iğdır, the Aras Valley, Lake Kuyucuk, and the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains. The organization combines scientific research, habitat protection, ecological restoration, public education, and nature-based tourism rather than selling conventional consumer products. The initiative that preceded KuzeyDoğa began in 2003 as the Kars-Iğdır Biodiversity Project. Biology professor Çağan H. Şekercioğlu subsequently established KuzeyDoğa in January 2008. Its work has been built around long-term field monitoring, partnerships with universities and conservation institutions, and the use of technology such as motion-sensitive wildlife cameras, GPS/GSM collars, satellite transmitters, and bird geolocators. Bird conservation is one of KuzeyDoğa’s central activities. Researchers have documented more than 320 bird species in the region, a figure described in reference material as representing more than 70 percent of the bird species recorded in Turkey. The organization has operated bird-ringing stations at the Aras River in Iğdır and Lake Kuyucuk in Kars, capturing, measuring, banding, and releasing birds during spring and autumn migration periods. It has also fitted selected birds, including vultures and smaller migratory species, with tracking devices to study migration routes and survival. KuzeyDoğa’s wetland work is closely connected with bird monitoring. A major achievement was the designation in 2009 of 416 hectares of Lake Kuyucuk as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The shallow lake is used by migratory birds and by communities in surrounding villages. The organization has also conducted restoration and conservation work at Lake Kuyucuk and at facilities associated with Kafkas University. In 2014, it warned that falling water levels at Lake Kuyucuk were placing birds at greater risk from predators. The reported causes included inadequate inflow and excessive groundwater extraction, while vegetation on the lake’s islet had also been removed for livestock feed. Another major program concerns wildlife corridors and large carnivores. Since 2006, KuzeyDoğa has used motion-triggered cameras to document wildlife movement in eastern Anatolia. Beginning in 2011, it became the first organization reported to track wolves in Turkey. It has also studied European brown bears, gray wolves, and Caucasian lynx, particularly around the forested areas of the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains. Researchers have fitted more than 16 bears and 11 wolves with temporary GPS/GSM collars, in collaboration with international academic partners, and used the resulting movement data to support corridor planning. KuzeyDoğa proposed a wildlife corridor in 2008, and in January 2012 Turkey’s Ministry of Forest and Water Management created the country’s first wildlife corridor in northeastern Anatolia. The corridor was reported as approximately 81 kilometers long and covering 23,533 hectares. The organization has also monitored endangered Caucasian lynx since 2013 and opposed the proposed Tuzluca Dam because of its potential threat to wetland habitat in the Aras Valley. Beyond scientific fieldwork, KuzeyDoğa conducts environmental education and public outreach, including an annual Bird Day at Lake Kuyucuk, and contributes to bird-focused ecotourism in eastern Turkey. Its funding has been described as coming from private donations, the Turkish government, the United Nations, and international conservation organizations, including the Whitley Fund for Nature and the Christensen Fund. In May 2020, the organization reported the first recorded raccoon dogs in Turkey, animals thought to have arrived from the east through Georgia. Overall, KuzeyDoğa’s institutional role is that of a regional conservation and research organization linking biodiversity science with habitat policy, community awareness, and landscape-scale protection.
History
KuzeyDoğa developed from biodiversity work in northeastern Turkey. Its predecessor, the Kars-Iğdır Biodiversity Project, was established in 2003 by biology professor Çağan H. Şekercioğlu. KuzeyDoğa itself was founded in January 2008 as a broader conservation organization serving the far eastern part of Turkey, including the Aras Valley, Lake Kuyucuk, Kars, Iğdır, and the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber mountain region. The organization’s early work emphasized systematic wildlife documentation. From 2006 onward, its researchers deployed motion-triggered cameras to record mammals and other wildlife in eastern Anatolia. Camera data later supported research into animal movement, habitat use, and the need for connected landscapes. Bird research became another institutional pillar. KuzeyDoğa established or operated ringing stations at the Aras River in Iğdır and Lake Kuyucuk in Kars, where birds were captured, measured, banded, and released during seasonal migrations. The Aras Valley also became the site of a bird research and education center in the village of Yukarı Çıyrıklı. Lake Kuyucuk became one of the organization’s most visible conservation priorities. In 2009, 416 hectares of the lake were designated as the Kuyucuk Lake Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The shallow wetland supports substantial migratory bird activity and has long been connected to the livelihoods and daily activities of nearby villages. KuzeyDoğa’s work at the site combined bird counts, ringing, habitat protection, restoration, education, and advocacy. In January 2014, it publicized a severe reduction in lake water levels, reporting that the lake had become shallow enough to expose birds to increased predation. The organization linked the problem to inadequate water inflow and groundwater extraction from local wells, while livestock use had damaged vegetation on the lake’s islet. Large-mammal research expanded the organization’s conservation model from individual species monitoring toward landscape protection. Beginning in 2011, KuzeyDoğa tracked wolves in Turkey, and it subsequently monitored European brown bears, gray wolves, and Caucasian lynx. Field teams used temporary GPS/GSM collars, wildlife cameras, and other tracking methods to map animal movements and home ranges. Reference material reports that more than 16 bears and 11 wolves were collared, primarily in collaboration with Josip Kusak of the University of Zagreb. Caucasian lynx monitoring began in the Sarıkamış region in 2013. The information produced by these projects informed KuzeyDoğa’s wildlife-corridor advocacy. The organization submitted a corridor proposal in 2008, and in January 2012 Turkey’s Ministry of Forest and Water Management established the country’s first wildlife corridor in northeastern Anatolia. The corridor was described as 81 kilometers long and covering 23,533 hectares. KuzeyDoğa also opposed the Tuzluca Dam project because of its potential effects on the Aras Valley wetland and its bird habitat. KuzeyDoğa’s activities have continued to combine research with public engagement. It has organized education and outreach programs in Turkey and abroad, including an annual Bird Day at Lake Kuyucuk, and has supported bird ecotourism in eastern Turkey. Its conservation work has been funded through a mixture of private donations, Turkish public support, United Nations resources, and grants or support from international conservation bodies such as the Whitley Fund for Nature and the Christensen Fund. In May 2020, it reported the first observation of raccoon dogs in Turkey. The organization remains associated with regional biodiversity documentation, wetland conservation, wildlife-corridor planning, ecological restoration, and environmental education.
- 2020
Raccoon dogs are recorded in Turkey
[1]KuzeyDoğa reports the first recorded raccoon dogs in Turkey, believed to have arrived from the direction of Georgia.
- 2014
Lake Kuyucuk water crisis is reported
[1]KuzeyDoğa reports that falling water levels and damaged islet vegetation are placing the lake’s bird populations at risk.
- 2013
Caucasian lynx monitoring expands
[1]The organization begins monitoring endangered Caucasian lynx in the Sarıkamış region.
- 2012
Turkey establishes its first wildlife corridor
[1]Following a KuzeyDoğa proposal, the Ministry of Forest and Water Management creates an 81-kilometer wildlife corridor covering approximately 23,533 hectares in northeastern Anatolia.
- 2011
Wolf tracking begins
[1]KuzeyDoğa becomes the first organization reported to track wolves in Turkey.
- 2009
Lake Kuyucuk receives Ramsar designation
[1]A 416-hectare area at Lake Kuyucuk is designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
- 2008
KuzeyDoğa is founded
[1]The conservation organization is founded in January, expanding the earlier biodiversity project into a broader research and conservation institution.
- 2006
Motion-triggered wildlife-camera monitoring begins
[1]KuzeyDoğa’s predecessor begins using camera traps to document wildlife in eastern Anatolia.
- 2003
Kars-Iğdır Biodiversity Project begins
[1]Çağan H. Şekercioğlu establishes the predecessor project that later develops into KuzeyDoğa.
Products and positioning
A field-based Turkish conservation organization that connects rigorous biodiversity research with habitat protection, wildlife-corridor planning, public education, and local ecotourism.
Research and education facility
Aras Valley Bird Research and Education Center
A field facility in Yukarı Çıyrıklı in the Aras Valley supporting bird ringing, migration research, biodiversity education, and public engagement. It forms part of KuzeyDoğa’s effort to study one of the major migratory routes in eastern Turkey.
Avian conservation program
Bird ringing and migration monitoring
KuzeyDoğa captures, measures, bands, and releases birds during spring and autumn migration seasons. Researchers also use geolocators and satellite transmitters on selected species to investigate routes, movements, and conservation threats.
Wetland conservation · 2009
Lake Kuyucuk conservation program
This program combines bird monitoring, wetland protection, restoration, education, and advocacy at Lake Kuyucuk, a Ramsar wetland used by migratory birds and neighboring communities.
Wildlife research · 2011
Large-carnivore tracking program
The program studies brown bears, gray wolves, and Caucasian lynx through GPS/GSM collars, camera traps, and field observations. Results are used to understand home ranges and movement routes and to support proposals for connected wildlife habitat.
Landscape conservation · 2008
Wildlife-corridor research
KuzeyDoğa uses animal-movement data and habitat research to identify landscape connections for large mammals, particularly in and around the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains. The work contributed to a national wildlife-corridor designation in 2012.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Tuzluca Dam opposition
Turkey
KuzeyDoğa urged Turkey’s Ministry of Forest and Water Management to abandon the Tuzluca Dam project, arguing that it threatened wetland habitat and birdlife in the Aras Valley.
- 2008Northeastern Anatolia wildlife-corridor proposal
Turkey
KuzeyDoğa proposed protecting a connected wildlife route in northeastern Anatolia based on field observations and wildlife-movement research.
Outcome. The proposal was followed by the creation of Turkey’s first wildlife corridor in the region in January 2012.
- Bird Day at Lake Kuyucuk
Turkey
KuzeyDoğa conducts an annual public education and outreach event at Lake Kuyucuk to promote awareness of migratory birds, wetlands, and local conservation.
Brand decisions
2009
Prioritize Lake Kuyucuk as a protected wetlandStrategyBackground
Lake Kuyucuk is a shallow wetland used by migratory birds and surrounding communities.
Action taken
KuzeyDoğa supported conservation and monitoring efforts associated with the designation of 416 hectares of Lake Kuyucuk as a Ramsar wetland.
Aftermath
The lake became a central site for bird research, restoration, environmental education, and ecotourism outreach.
2008
Adopt a landscape-scale corridor strategyStrategyBackground
Wildlife-camera observations and large-mammal research indicated that habitat connectivity was important for species such as wolves, bears, and lynx.
Action taken
KuzeyDoğa proposed a wildlife corridor in northeastern Anatolia and linked species tracking with habitat-protection advocacy.
Aftermath
Turkey’s first wildlife corridor was designated in the region in January 2012.
Sources1 sources
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