Sea Turtles Application And Research Center (DEKAMER)

I am Professor Yakup Kaska, a faculty member at Pamukkale University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, and I also work as the director of DEKAMER, the Sea Turtle Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. As Pamukkale University, we have been carrying out our studies on sea turtles for about 30 years. However, our efforts to carry out this as a center have been continuing since 2008, as DEKAMER. Sea turtles have actually been around since the time of the dinosaurs, they are relatives. We were established as a center that carries out scientific studies and informs the public, working on their conservation as a species, their conservation on land and in the sea. We focus on the treatment of injured sea turtles, the protection of their nests. Our goal is to help injured sea turtles return back to sea. We started our work focusing on preserving the nests, about 20 years ago. However, as we observed that the protection of the nests is not sufficient, we focused on the general study of the life of sea turtles, such as where they roam, where they feed in the seas and where are their migration routes. We continue to work on very current issues such as how global warming affects the sea turtles. When we say sea turtle, everybody thinks of caretta carettas. However, we have a second species that nests on the beaches of our country, which is the Green Sea Turtle. It's a little harder to say, "chelonia mydas”. They are the gardeners of the sea, so we must protect them. But in order for them to continue to live in the seas, we must both work for the offspring to go to the sea successfully and reduce our activities that cause them to die and be injured at sea. That's why we work 24/7 for the protection of sea turtles, together with our volunteers, who are volunteer students who join us for 1 month in the summer term, no matter what university they are from. We also have participants who help us out with our activities from abroad, almost like an international summer school. DEKAMER's studies and work continue throughout the year.