İztuzu Beach

The effort to protect loggerhead sea turtle eggs and to assure a safe breeding ground for this endangered species has made international headlines.

Since this would have meant the end of an important nesting habitat for the loggerhead turtle, June Haimoff, together with fellow-environmentalists such as David Bellamy, Lily Venizelos, Günther Peter, Nergis Yazgan and Keith Corbett, launched a campaign to save the beach.

Especially in the Federal Republic of Germany the building project caused great indignation, because German DEG (Deutsche Finanzierungsgesellschaft für Beteiligungen in Entwicklungsländern) wanted to claim a fund of 5 million euros worth from public means under the pretense of "development aid".

[3] June Haimoff approached the WWF, upon which Prince Philip -then president- asked the Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Özal for a moratorium, while awaiting an Environmental impact assessment.

In July 1988 the Turkish government decided against development and gave İztuzu beach and its hinterland the Special Environmental Protection Area status.

To prevent disturbance and disruption of the turtles and their nests, strict regulations have been imposed by the government since 1988: These measures have proven to be successful, despite the enormous increase of tourism.

Every year, the organization also runs a volunteer program where participants engage in fieldwork on the beach and sometimes partake in tourist activities to inform people all around the world.