PRIZE IN PORTUGAL

In Portugal we participated in a contest related to the International Year of Forests producing videos about Leiria's Pine Forest - Biodiversity and Environmental Value.
The Biodiversity video won the first prize, as you can see here!

A strong hug to the Forest :-)

1. winner of World Environment Day in Europe

Our project "IYF" and my own project "NATURE BASED EDUCATION" together have become
1. winner of WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY in Europe!
Congratulations to all!!! :)

Tuğba YÜKSEL

Recent & Future Projects in BEYKOZ DOGA COLLEGE FOREST

Recent Projects related to “BEYKOZ DOGA COLLEGE FOREST”

Recently, some camels, ostriches were brought to provide students and people seeing unique species in Beykoz Doga College Forest. Many new tree species were planted. Some huts and animal houses were built. The stream in the middle of the forest was cleaned by the students and the teachers.
The next project of BEYKOZ DOGA COLLEGE FOREST will be held about enlarging the forest and planting more trees and feeding the animals.

Tuğba YÜKSEL

P.S. I'd like to present my thanks to all the partners for their participation in this project, IYF.

PINHAL DE LEIRIA'S HISTORICAL FEATURES

It is not known exactly, when this Portuguese forest was created. Several Portuguese kings are mentioned in its origin – Sancho I, Sancho II, Afonso III and Dinis.

On a less known version, Queen Isabel, to whom her husband D. Dinis had given this lands, is presented as the main responsible for its soaring, as soon as she knew of a special pine specie that could easily grow on sandy soil.

However, it is to King Dinis, the Farmer (1261-1325) that is given the responsibility of this area’s sowing, development and arrangement. Therefore, this enormous area of forest is still known as the King’s Pine Forest.

Someone named it as the “Greatest Portuguese Monument” due to its important role in local and national development, across the years.

Since the beginning this pine forest had the important function to hold sand and salt that invaded fertile lands on interior, allowing, this way, farming. In the first early centuries of nationality the forest offered wood for ship building that would be used for development of fishing, for maritime trade and later on maritime expansion. During the Philippine period (1580-1640) the forest’s limits were defined.

In the eighteen century new regulations were created in order to increase the development, effective good use and defense of Leiria’s wood. As consequence raw materials were supplied to the famous glass factory of Marinha Grande (near city), founded by William Stephens.

On the nineteen century, the forest strongly decayed due, either, to the French Invasions and big fires in 1806, 1814, 1818, 1824.

In 1867 a study of Bernardino Barros Gomes divided the forest into rectangles in order to achieve a better management of it.

In 1980 another study allowed to calculate the total area of the Forest – more than 11000 hectares.

Project Earth® | NATURE BASED EDUCATION

Project Earth® | NATURE BASED EDUCATION

CONSIDERATION ON THE UPPER FOREST LIMIT IN THE „MUNŢII RODNEI” NATIONAL PARK

In the Rodnei Mountains, human intervention, propelled by the wish to expand the grazing and exploitation area for limiting forests, is reflected at present in the upper limit intensely lowered in comparison with the natural limit, especially in the most accessible areas. The variation in altitude of the superior limit of forests is appreciated at a medium range of 200-300 m, having elevated values on the southern slope where, on several peaks, the superior limit of forests is artificially lowered up to 1,100-1,200 m in altitude.

The forest species that can be found most often at the upper limit of the forest is the Picea Abies. There are situations when the superior limit of the forest is made up of other species as well: the Fagus sylvatica (in the south and south-west), the Sorbus aucuparia, the Betula pendula, and the Pinus cembra (in the east). In most cases, however, the height of limiting trees in Rodnei Mountains exceeds 8-10 m, which gives away the fact that, generally speaking, the present forest is not one to indicate a natural limit.

The forests’ upper limit is, mostly, artificially lowered due to the anthropic pressure in the transition area between the forest belt and the sub-alpine belt. Here, deforestation activities aiming at the expansion of grazing fields and obtaining wood, conducted mainly throughout the past century, have had a main effect in the destruction of savins and spruce open woods, and in the deforestation of large areas covered in forests. Since spruce forests make up the upper-most belt in Rodnei Mountains, and softwood timber is the main matter destined for the internal and external market, or used in the reinforcing of mining galleries, it is easy to understandthe downwards expansion of terrains occupied by sub-alpine and alpine grazing fields following deforestation.

The natural limit is usually found where the terrain is not easily accessible, especially on the northern slope of Rodnei Mountains, on the slopes of Hotarului Peak, Curmătura Pietrosului, Piciorul Plescuţei Peak, Gaja Mountain.

The information about Sığla Forest-Dalaman

The Sığla (Sweet Gum Trees) ForestsWhen we search aboutthe history of  Sığla there are some important news that we would like to share with you…The most interestinf info is that 'Sığla oil is  Cleopatra’s love potion  and Hipocrat’s medicine..'

Sığla tree  comes up rarely in Muğla and Its enviroment.and Also you can meet Sığla forests in Rodos and China too.

The oil and resin of Sığla are indispensable raw material fort he Cosmetics.The Sığla oil has been used in parfume cosmetic for many many years.İn addition to cosmetic,It is also used as a medicine in all over the world.It is very good antiseptic and an effective solution for the parasites.After the improvement  in perfume and cosmetic in 19th century,Sığla oil had a more important place in the raw materials of cosmetic.Today in Turkey all of the Sığla forests are under the protection of Goverment.The enviromental groups know how It is important to save trees and they organize different campains for growing more trees and protect the forests.As students try to grow Sığla trees and the people plant Sığla If they would like to plant a tree.Altough Dalaman is very famous with its natural fine and gumtrees,Sığla has an important place for the people.When We look trough the Dalaman,It is possible to see thick natural forests BUT It is very different to see the Sığla trees with its beautiful leaves.It is pğossible for you to feel teh smelling of the tress wh,ile walking in the forests.

Why is the Sığla oil used in parfume?

Sığla oil has a different smell and at first It is used for its natural aromatic smell.the second reason maybe It is the most important one is the oil is used in pefumes to fix the smell of the perfumes and avoid the disapper of the perfume in short time.It is like a fixer.In this way It is possible to have a perfume which smells for days and weeks.

ECOLOGICAL ISSUES OF DOGA COLLEGE FOREST

Environmental and economic benefits, systematic application of sustainable waste management in education buildings also make a positive contribution to the education of future generations. This study examines schools in Istanbul, which are part of the Eco-Schools International Programme. And DOGA COLLEGE is one of the strong members of this programme. This programme was established in 1994 with European Union support and it aims to introduce environmental management systems into primary schools within the scope of ISO 14001/EMAS. A questionnaire study was administered on the theme of litter management and sustainable waste management within elementary schools located in the Asian and European parts of Istanbul city, and the findings of a field survey were examined. Questionnaire findings were gathered under five themes: litter management, composting of organic waste, re-use of school materials, reducing consumption–selection of recycled products, waste management and sorting of recyclable materials.

Alow average of just over 1 sq metre of forest reserve is put aside per person; conservationists say the average in Europe is about 40 sq metres per person.
Air-pollution in the city is a big problem. Though clean-burning Russian natural gas has replaced dirty lignite as the preferred winter heating fuel, air pollution is stil significant, largely due to the ever-inreasing number of cars jamming city roads.

The major environmental threat to the city is pollution od its wasterways. Increased oil exports from Caspian Sea region to Russia and Georgian ports and across the Black Sea has led to increased oil-tanker traffic through the narrow and winding Turkish Straits, which comprise the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus.

Tuğba Yüksel
Doga Schools
Istanbul/TURKEY

More photos from Malta

These are some of the photos we took when we went at Buskett.

Hello from Turkey

It has been long time that I couldnt uplaad anything,I had problems with the blog,We solved the problem and I can enter the blog now..My students prepared the photos and info about the last  activities..We will upload next week ,but before that I would like to share some spring photos with you..Here is the spring time...These are my favourite trees in Dalaman..They are so different and next week we will give much more information about them..

KAMPINOS FOREST - historical and social information

• Reach in wood Mazowsze Forest  has been well known and valued for a long time. Pines were cut down and floated by Vistula river to Gdańsk. 

• Considering its proximity to Warsaw, the Kampinos Forest was an area of frequent military activities. There are mementoes of these times such as "Sosna Powstańców 1863 roku" (Pine of Insurgents of 1863) or a cemetery of Nazi execution victims in Palmiry.  

Many inhabitants of Warsaw are buried at the Palmiry cemetery, they were secretly killed there by the Germans in the years 1939-1945.

• Every year in Brochów there is a recreation of Battle of the Bzura, the biggest battle of the September 1939 Campaign, which was fought by Polish armies Poznań and Pomorze against German 8th and 10th Army of South Group.

Additional attractions near the Kampinos Forest:

- Żelazowa Wola, a manor house where famous composer Frédéric Chopin was born; 

- Brochów, fortified church, place of Chopin’s baptism and wedding of his parents;

- Modlin Stronghold;
- Romanesque monastery in Czerwińsk by Vistula river;

• 73,000 people live within the boundaries of the biosphere reserve, mainly in villages. Agriculture and tourism are the main economic activities in the area.

• The Kampinos Forest almost reaches Warsaw so it’s very popular destination for weekends breaks and holidays. A very important thing is that the Park produces a lot of clean, fresh air for the capital city.

• Kampinos is popular among hikers and cyclists from the capital, who take advantage of its 300km of marked walking and cycling trails. The eastern part of the park, closer to the city, is more favoured by walkers as it’s accessible by public transport; the western part is less visited.  

• More than 360 kilometres of hiking trails were marked in Kampinos National Park. The main trail has a length of more than 50 kilometres. Bicycle tourism is difficult because of the sandy ground. Therefore, 140-kilometre Kampinos Bicycle Route is led on the outside part of the Park. 

• Sandy Kampinos routes ensure great conditions for cross-country running and nordic walking, and in winter for cross-country skiing. 

• One can also rent a horse and ride on trails whose total length is around 360 kilometers. 

  Welcome to the Kampinos Forest !

HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT “BEYKOZ DOGA COLLEGE FOREST”

Beykoz Doga College Forest of the Bosphorus has always been a location to spark the imagination, and in ancient times was a place of sacrifice. Blood was spilt to petition Zeus and Poseidon for a safe journey across the treacherous Black Sea, without which no one would venture into those stormy waters.

The first historic people to settle the upper-Bosphorus were Thracians and Greeks and the ancient name for the area was Amikos or Amnicus, named after a Thracian king. However, the area has changed hands many times since. As well as being one of the most strategically important crossing points in history, the Bosphorus itself has always been rich in fish and opportunities for plundering the even richer communities around the Marmara, and Beykoz has been settled by wave on wave of invaders from around and beyond the Black Sea: Thracians, Bithynians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and finally Turks.

In the Ottoman period, the land behind Beykoz was open country and forest used for hunting and an escape from the city by the Sultans and their court. The hunting lodge at Küçüksu, and the fountains and mosques that decorate the villages along the coast date from this era. The name Beykoz was established at this time and appears to derives from Bey (meaning prince, lord or gentleman) and Koz (the Persian word for village). (Koz is also a word for a type of walnut, another possible etymology).

Under Turkish control the straits have retained their strategic value; indeed British troops assembled in Beykoz on their way to fight in the Crimea in 1854.

Later attempts were made to bring industry to the area, most importantly the glassworks at Paşabahçe, which began as small workshops in the 17th century and by the 18th and 19th centuries were a well-established factory making the ornate spiral-designed or semi-opaque white glassware known to collectors worldwide as 'Beykoz-ware'. A well-known shoe factory was later built, now both glass and shoe factories are closed.

On the hillsides above the Bosphorus Beykoz has always suffered from uncontrolled development and large areas above the Bosphorus are covered in illegal housing, where migrants have come to live and work in the glass and other industries. Areas like Çubuklu and Paşabahçe are continually struggling to put in infrastructure to keep up with the housing being built illegally or semi-legally. Due to this incoming industrial workforce Beykoz has had a working-class character unseen behind the luxury of the Bosphorus waterfront. Schooling is somewhat of a problem and it is common to see children from the Beykoz area going to school by boat to the European side.

Now the illegal building is happening in the forests further back from the sea, particularly in the areas of Çavuşbaşı and Elmalı. This countryside is scattered with little villages, all of which are expanding now more roads are being put through.

Not all the new housing is scrappy, and Beykoz holds some of the most luxurious new development in the Istanbul area, the villa estates of Acarkent and Beykoz Konaklar, home to filmstars, members of parliament and other Istanbul glitterati. How attractive these places are and how cultured and respectable the residents are matters of some debate. The Bosphorus has historically been teeming with fish, and Beykoz does have a small fishing community (although the main fishing fleet is based in Istanbul itself). The fish restaurants at Anadolu Kavağı in particular have sprung up to serve day trippers from the Bosphorus tours by ferryboat.

Our expedition in Rodna Mountains National Park

Rodnei is the highest massif in the Eastern Carpathians (Pietrosu Rodnei Peak- 2.303 meters). Its main ridge (50 kilometers long, 3-40 km wide) offers you a splendid panorama of all the surrounding mountains. Volcanicmountain, it has some glacial lakes like Lala and some caves, the most notable one is "Izvorul Tausoarelor", the deepest cave in Romania, and the second in Europe, going about 479 meters beneath the surface and "Jgheabul lui Zalion", 242 meters deep. Some protected species of flora and fauna can be observed here: edelweiss, chamois, marmot, lynx etc