IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING SYSTEM IN TURKIYE: LESSONS-LEARNT FROM MUCILAGE EVENT IN THE SEA OF MARMARA

Abstract

Facing and experiencing the recent mucilage event in the Sea of Marmara-Türkiye in 2021 urged the local and state officers together with the related authorities to strengthen and improve the existing environmental auditing system. It is well-known that high pollution loads discharged to the receiving sea environment through land-based sources of point and diffuse loads accelerated the formation of mucilage in line with the warming of the sea surface as a consequence of climate change. In this regard changes, revisions, and particularly sector-specific activities were funded through a project established by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change (MoEU) and carried out by a group of academics and MoEU technical specialists. As such, the auding system has been thoroughly improved to prevent further deterioration of the Sea of Marmara surrounded by 7 metropolitan provinces of the country. This study is on the lessons-learnt during the renewal attempts of the auditing system with the aim of benefiting from the recent applications of the other developing and/or regional countries suffering from coastal pollution.