Act II is the follow-up project of the Raptors Conservation Action to determine the hotspots of roadkills via road surveys and citizen science methods.
With Act II , the project aimed to identify the cases of roadkills on the intercity road connecting Ankara, Çankırı and Kastamonu provinces and to develop conservation measures by determining hotspots. We conducted our work through regular road observations and with Life Road mobile app, which developed by our team as a first citizen science method in Turkey.
In the earlier stage, we had identified that roadkills were one of the most important threats against raptors. Especially threatened species such as Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus), Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo), Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) and Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) were among the victims of roadkills. Act II aimed to carry out conservation activities to minimise these incidents.
Within the scope of Act II, while regular road observations continued, clinic support was provided for the treatment and rehabilitation processes of raptors in the project area. LIFE ROAD mobile app was developed as a first in Turkey in that sense, that allows users to share their road kill observations with the project. Through this citizen science method, which was actively used throughout the project, nearly 500 cases were submitted and the application was downloaded approximately 1000 times. In addition to all these, the digital and physical events with children and young people continued in the region and online platforms.
At the end of the project, an illustrated “Raptors of Turkey Guide“, also a first in Turkey, was published with the support of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
*Raptors Conservation Action: Act II was supported by the Rufford Foundation.
