MORE BLUE FLAGS...

Although Turkey’s peak tourism season is still months away, members of Turkey’s “Blue Flag jury” met last week to determine which tourist hotspots will win the right to fly the Blue Flag this year.

The Blue Flag is coveted throughout the tourism industry as it is considered a stamp of approval for environmental cleanliness and safety. The program awards a “voluntary eco-label” to over 3,450 beaches and marinas in 41 countries, according to Blue Flag’s Web site.

Beaches and marinas that wish to fly the flag must meet a series of criteria, ranging from water quality standards to offering environmental education programs.

In recent years, Turkey has ranked third in the world with the most Blue Flag certified beaches, behind Spain and Greece. Last year, however, France narrowly beat Turkey to third place with 288 Blue Flag beaches, compared to Turkey’s 286. Spain had 486 approved beaches in 2009, and Greece had 425.

Turkey is further down the list when it comes to Blue Flag marinas with only 14, compared to 126 for first-place Germany.

Unsurprisingly, Antalya and Muğla have the most certifications in Turley, with 156 in Antalya and 62 in Muğla. The Kefaluka Hotel, which hosted Saturday’s jury meeting, is the owner of one of the six Blue Flag beaches in Turgutreis, Muğla.

Before the meeting, the Environmental Education Foundation of Turkey, or TÜRÇEV, the nongovernmental organization administering the Blue Flag program in Turkey, invited local officials and environmentalists to a panel session.

The panel introduced new changes in the Blue Flag criteria for 2010 as well as the Muğla Governor’s Office’s new “Blue Card for boats” program, which aims to track waste disposal by all vessels sailing along Muğla’s coastline.

Included in the panel session was a slide show of “dos” and “don’ts” for Blue Flag beaches; such advice includes provides beach access to visitors with disabilities but not allowing pets on the beach because of their related health risks.

In addition to reviewing the basic Blue Flag and Blue Card requirements for beach and sea cleanliness, the panel session also examined broader coastline management issues in Turkey.

Professor Erdal Özhan of Medcoast, which has been implementing a project in Gökova, pointed to the need to identify obstacles preventing the implementation of an integrated coastal management plan to make recommendations for legal and institutional improvements.

According to Özhan, Turkey is one of seven Mediterranean countries that did not sign on the 2008 Mediterranean Integrated Coastal Area Protocol, which seeks to implement the United Nations’ Barcelona Convention that focuses on coastal preservation and environmental resource management, particularly water.

If the protocol meets the requirements for ratification, all Mediterranean countries, including Turkey, will have to abide by its standards for sustainable development.

Turgutreis Mayor Mehmet Dinçberk further decried the poor roads leading to the hotel, saying the maze of trenches and construction were part of efforts to bring a new integrated drinking water system to the Bodrum Peninsula. “This lack of infrastructure in tourism regions is the first thing that needs to be addressed so that we don’t pollute the waters.”

Turgutries Municipality does not currently have a wastewater treatment system although the municipality has applied for funding to construct one. According to TÜRÇEV’s Gürcan Kaya, inadequate wastewater treatment was behind the removal of Blue Flags from some beaches in Antalya that were unable to meet the minimum criteria for water quality.

As of 2010, these criteria will be even more stringent. Moreover, as of 2012, Blue Flag applicants will have to prove they have met the criteria for the previous four years, up from the current requirement of only one year.

The Turkish beaches, marinas and yachts to receive the 2010 Blue Flag will be announced in the near future after an international jury reviews the recommendations made by last weekend’s Turkish jury.

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