Zero Waste Foundation Expands Turkish Environmental Initiatives Ahead of COP31

Local governance and marine cleanups highlight Türkiye’s preparations to host the international climate conference.

• By Jesse Jacobs
• August 18, 2026

Environmental advocates and local government leaders are advancing regional conservation projects across Türkiye in preparation for the upcoming COP31 climate conference in Antalya.

The initiatives, led by the Zero Waste Foundation, focus on long-term water basin management and immediate pollution control. Recent efforts include a multi-agency strategy session for the country’s largest lake and a seafloor cleanup in the Bosphorus strait.

Organizers recently concluded the two-day Lake Van Basin Sustainable Future Workshop, drawing 325 participants from 14 national ministries, 40 directorates, regional universities and civil society groups. Lake Van, located in eastern Türkiye, is one of the world’s largest soda lakes—a strongly alkaline body of water characterized by high concentrations of dissolved carbonate salts and a lack of natural outflows.

The workshop built upon protection plans initially established in 2020. Delegates evaluated basin governance, digital monitoring systems, agricultural practices and local infrastructure. The discussions will form the basis of a final report designed to guide the Lake Van Basin 2050 Vision, an actionable framework for regional resource management.

In a separate coastal action in İstanbul, the foundation coordinated a marine waste recovery project along the Üsküdar shoreline on the Bosphorus, the narrow natural strait in northwestern Türkiye that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and divides continental Europe from Asia. Divers retrieved submerged plastic debris from the seabed before handing the waste to youth participants and athletes to carry ashore.

The cleanup event aimed to combine marine conservation awareness with inclusive community engagement as the nation prepares to host international delegates at the summit.