Life in Camili Biosphere Reserve

Transcription

Biosphere Reserves for Education for
Sustainable Development:
Life in Camili
Biosphere Reserve
Cornbread, Yogurt and Honey...
Life in Camili
Biosphere Reserve
Turkish National Commission for UNESCO
Reşit Galip Caddesi Hereke Sokak No: 10
Gaziosmanpaşa - Çankaya / ANKARA / TURKEY
Phone: +90 312 426 58 94 – 427 19 48 – 446 82 71
Fax : +90 312 427 20 64
www.unesco.org.tr
Biosphere Reserves for Education for Sustainable Development:
Life in Camili Biosphere Reserve
Authors
Gaye TEKSÖZ
Erdoğan ERTÜRK
Yıldıray LİSE
ISBN: 978-605-62155-8-2
Photographs
Erdoğan ERTÜRK
Gaye TEKSÖZ
İbrahim KAHYA
M. Hakan BAYKAL
Oğuz KURDOĞLU
Özgür ALAÇAM
Sıtkı ERAYDIN
Vedat ATASOY
Yıldıray LİSE
Map
Bilgehan Kaan ÇALIŞKAN
Design and Printing
Uzerler Matbaacılık Reklamcılık
Turizm San. Tic. Ltd. Şti.
Turan Güneş Bulvarı 22/8-26
Yıldız, Çankaya / ANKARA
Phone : +90 312 441 9015
Fax : +90 312 442 6215
e-mail : [email protected]
www.uzerler.com
Book citation
TEKSÖZ, G., ERTÜRK, E., LİSE, Y. (2016). Biosphere Reserves for Education for Sustainable Development:
Life in Camili Biosphere Reserve, Turkish National Commission for UNESCO, ANKARA.
Publication Place and Date:
ANKARA, 2016
This book is a part of the “Project on Camili Biosphere Reserve as a Learning Site for Sustainable Education”, supported by the Turkish National
Commission for UNESCO, and cannot be used for commercial purposes.
© All rights reserved. This book cannot be reprinted, reproduced or copied in any form or medium, including electronic and mechanical, in whole or
in part, without the express written permission of its publisher.
Life in Camili
Biosphere Reserve
Turkish National Commission for
UNESCO
4
5
UNESCO
Foreword
UNESCO
6
C
ultural diversity is under threat by
globalization and mass culture, and
biological diversity in nature is under
threat by the overuse of natural resources.
UNESCO, which represents the common
conscience and intellectual resistance of
humanity against these menaces, is taking
action to create common awareness to
preserve both cultural and biological diversity.
Decisions made, programs implemented,
and declarations, recommendations and
conventions drafted and signed by UNESCO
are products of this effort.
UNESCO tries to raise awareness that
nature and natural treasures are not only
a legacy we inherit from the past, but also
a legacy we pass on to future generations,
and defends the idea that preserving nature
and natural diversity are prerequisites for
ensuring continued survival of our cultural
existence and diversity. UNESCO’s Man and
the Biosphere Programme (MaB), which is an
intergovernmental programme that has been
working to establish a scientific basis for the
improvement of relationships between people
and their environments since 1970s, adopts
a balanced approach to nature conservation,
one that emphasizes sustainable development
in the relationship between people and natural
resources.
MaB National Committee of the Turkish
National Commission, successfully operating
under the leadership of Dr. Mahir Küçük
since its foundation, runs multiple national
awareness campaigns within the framework
of Man and Biosphere Programme, and most
recently prepared this educational book,
which resulted from field studies conducted
in Camili region as part of the “Project on
Camili Biosphere Reserve as a Learning Site
for Sustainable Education”, providing different
perspectives on Camili, the first UNESCO
biosphere reserve in Turkey.
Titled “Biosphere Reserves for Education
for Sustainable Development: Life in Camili
Biosphere Reserve: Cornbread, Yogurt and
Honey”, this book provides a captivating
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
members of the MAB National Commitee, on
my behalf and on behalf of the Turkish National
Commission for UNESCO, for preparing this
exceptional study on the nature, culture and
sustainable development of Camili, the first
and only biosphere reserve in Turkey.
Prof. Dr. M. Öcal OĞUZ
President,
UNESCO
UNESCO
account of the process of Camili’s selection and
designation as a protected biosphere reserve,
its rich natural resources, unique landscapes,
fascinating history and culture, and residents’
strong feelings about the ties between nature
and culture. The book also serves as a valuable
source of information about whether and to
what extent practices and experiences in many
areas of life, from tourism to culture, reflect
an awareness of and concern for sustainable
development.
7
UNESCO
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9
UNESCO
Preface
T
UNESCO
10
he
first
officially
designated
nature reserve in the world was
the “Yellowstone National Park”,
established in 1872. “Convention Relative to
the Preservation of Fauna and Flora in their
Natural State”, signed in London in 1933,
provided for the establishment of national
parks, nature reserves and other reserves,
and took the first steps for the protection of
biological diversity.
The first official measure for nature
conservation in Turkey was taken in 1951,
when “Istanbul Belgrade Forest” was given the
status of a “Protected Forest”. The first official
measure that combined the goals of nature
conservation and protection of biological
diversity was the designation of “Yozgat
Çamlığı” as the first National Park of Turkey,
in 1958.
Today, there are numerous sites designated
as nature reserves due to relevant national
legislation and Turkey’s participation in
international agreements and organizations.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is an
important actor in the preservation of culture
and nature, initiating many conventions and
developing strategies for the preservation
and management of natural heritage sites
and biosphere reserves. Today, there are 651
biosphere reserves in 120 countries, and a total
of 1031 world heritage sites in 163 countries,
of which 802 are cultural, 197 are natural, and
32 are both natural and cultural heritage sites.
There are a total of 15 world heritage sites in
Turkey, thirteen of which are cultural heritage
sites, and two -Pamukkale and Göreme
National Parks- are both cultural and natural
heritage sites.
The first biosphere reserve of Turkey is the
Camili Biosphere Reserve, which is located
within the province of Artvin and was included
in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves
by UNESCO in 2005, in collaboration with
the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs.
Camili Biosphere Reserve was included in
the World Network of Biosphere Reserves
by UNESCO because it is located on one of
the 25 inland ecological sites designated by
the International Union for Conservation
of Nature, the World Bank and the World
Wide Fund for Nature as biologically rich and
under threat, contains diverse ecosystems,
has rich flora and fauna diversity, is located
on important bird migration routes, and is a
Camili Biosphere Reserve combines nature
conservation and sustainable development
approaches in exemplary fashion. Members
of the local community engage in nature
friendly economic activities such as operating
family run hostels, serving as guides in nature
hikes, keeping bees, producing honey, and
engaging in organic farming, contributing to
the preservation of the biological diversity and
natural resources of the region.
Human health and welfare, as well as the
continued sustainability of natural resources
and biological diversity on earth, require
raising awareness within societies, use of
renewable energy sources and other low
emission technologies, and the creation of job
and livelihood opportunities to improve the
economic and social wellbeing of less well to
do inhabitants, particularly those who depend
on ecosystem services for their livelihood.
Sustainable development requires balancing
the imperatives of improving the livelihood
of the local population and preserving
biological diversity, and Biosphere Reserves
play a crucial role in achieving this balance.
Biosphere reserves are sites that prioritize
the needs of local populations and nature
conservation
together,
encouraging
sustainable development and simultaneously
helping preserve species, genetic resources and
ecosystems. Therefore, to achieve the goals of
preserving biological diversity and generating
social and economic development for the local
community, the number of biosphere reserves
should be increased, which would in turn
contribute to the sustainable management of
natural resources nationally and globally.
We are aware of our responsibility to conserve
and sustain Camili Biosphere Reserve, which
is a nature reserve of national and global
significance, and to take every measure
to make sure that it is passed on to future
generations intact.
I would like to thank everyone who
contributed to the writing of this book,
titled “Biosphere Reserves for Education
for Sustainable Development: Life in Camili
Biosphere Reserve: Cornbread, Yogurt and
Honey...”, especially to the people of Camili for
their support during the fieldwork, and hope
that it helps raise awareness among all readers,
younger ones in particular, about nature
conservation and sustainable development.
Dr. Mahir KÜÇÜK
Chair, Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Committee
Turkish National Commission for UNESCO
UNESCO
region where sustainable development and
nature conservation go hand in hand.
11
UNESCO
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Contents
FOREWORD................................................................................................................................ 6
PREFACE.................................................................................................................................... 10
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................... 15
Machakheli..........................................................................................................................................30
Camili from the 3rd Century B.C. to Present ................................................................................34
LIFE IN CAMİLİ........................................................................................................................ 38
Nature is wise......................................................................................................................................38
Grape stems.........................................................................................................................................38
Night is as it should be in Camili ....................................................................................................42
Warmth of family................................................................................................................................44
Thank You Life....................................................................................................................................50
Milestone.............................................................................................................................................52
Orange Dreams...................................................................................................................................56
A hard-working woman of Camili...................................................................................................60
A tourism approach that preserves nature......................................................................................64
You don’t need money here!..............................................................................................................78
Zero waste!..........................................................................................................................................78
Honey or hazelnuts?...........................................................................................................................80
To consume or not to consume........................................................................................................82
The grocer............................................................................................................................................84
CORNBREAD, YOGURT AND HONEY.................................................................................. 86
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................ 92
AUTHORS.................................................................................................................................. 93
UNESCO
NATURE - PEOPLE - NATURE................................................................................................. 28
13
Camili
UNESCO
14
Camili Basin is a far away place, different, unique and unlike any you have
seen before. It is the land of the pure Caucasian bees, chamois, Caucasian
black grouse, brown trouts, brown bears, golden jackals, and deer, all living
harmoniously with one another and with the people of Camili. The land of
clusters of cloud travelling through valleys, red and white spotted mushrooms,
flowers of a thousand colors, a strong smell of coriander, grand chestnut, lime
and spruce trees that are hundreds of years old, woodpeckers, and cheerful,
good-humored and hospitable people. This is a land where you can find deep
valleys, majestic and foggy mountains, rhododendrons, fine mist, seas of clouds,
misty roads, never ending rains and drizzles, ice blue plateau lakes, roaring
rivers, high waterfalls, and thick ferns...
C
amili Basin, also known as Machakheli,
is an ecological and cultural treasure,
which was hidden in Karçal Mountains
for centuries. Although life in the basin is shaped
by closed roads during the winter for months,
there has been growing interest in the region in
recent years. The basin contains a wide range
of natural ecosystems with minimal human
impact, from lush green valleys to high alpine
meadows, and displays the characteristics of a
temperate rain forest with its old natural forests
and humid climate. It is a natural habitat for
important wildlife species such as grizzly bears
and chamois, and directs the migration of birds
of prey to a narrow corridor along the Karçal
Mountains.
Düzenli, Camili, Efeler, Uğur, Kayalar and
Maral are the only human settlements in
the basin, which is named after the central
Camili Village, and the people of the basin are
strongly attached to their culture and customs.
They have lived self-sufficient lives for many
centuries, fully integrated with nature. Their
agriculture has remained nature-friendly to this
day, and they succeeded in keeping the last pure
population of Caucasian bees.
The significance of the region for nature
conservation purposes was recognized staring
from the 1990s. Karçal Mountains were included
within WWF Turkey’s “Old Natural Forests of
Eastern Black Sea Region” project, ran between
1993-1996, and was later identified as one of
the major flora and nature conservation areas
of Turkey.
The old natural forests in Efeler and Gorgit
sections of the Camili Basin were provided
with legal protection in 1998, when they were
designated Nature Conservation Areas pursuant
to Law no. 2873 on National Parks.
Camili Basin was also one of the four pilot
regions of the Biological Diversity and Natural
Resource Management Project, run by the
then Ministry of Environment and Forestry
between 2000-2008, in collaboration with the
World Bank and with the support of the United
Nations Global Environment Facility. Also
known as the “GEF Project”, the “Biological
Diversity and Natural Resource Management
Project” included many components from
policy development to planning and from
implementation to monitoring at local and
UNESCO
Introduction
15
UNESCO
16
national levels. At the national level, the project
aimed to review and rationalize the legislation
on the preservation of biological diversity
and the sustainable management of natural
resources, to reform the current management
planning process for conservation areas by
adopting globally accepted participative
management planning processes, to improve
organizational capacity, and to raise public
awareness about biological diversity and the
use of natural resources. At the local level,
which included Camili Basin as well, the project
aimed to create models that would implement
effective and participative management of
conservation areas and sustainable use of
natural resources at the area level, models that
could be adopted by other conservation areas
as well. As part of this project, a participatory
Management Plan was initiated in the region
in 2003. This management plan was shared
at each step with interest groups and the
residents of the villages in the basin. Separate
meetings were held with women in the region
to ensure their participation. At each village
and in different neighborhoods of the larger
villages, information events were held about the
conservation goals, vision and regional mapping
of the management plan. These events were also
used to collect the views, recommendations
and reactions of the local communities.
Implementing the principle of governance,
beekeeping, ecotourism, and agriculture and
livestock committees were formed, which were
in compliance with the conservation goals of
the plan. These committees included elected
representatives from each village, aiming to
ensure the participatory implementation of
the management plan. The management plan
prepared in 2007 had a detailed program and
a vision seeking to strike a balance between
the old and the new, between global diversity
and local development, and between respected
traditions and inevitable change.
To achieve participatory management
of biological diversity in the region and
sustainable use of its natural resources,
scientific studies were conducted and a series
of events involving the local communities were
held as part of the project. Beekeeping, honey
production and ecotourism (hostels, guiding
services) projects prepared by the people and
civil society organizations of the region were
selectively supported to encourage nature
friendly economic activities. Technical and
financial support provided by the small grants
program of the GEF Project helped improve the
number and the quality of the family hostels in
the region. Family hostels consist of traditional
wooden structure houses with local architectural
elements. Traditional houses were transformed
into family hostels after minor restoration and
repair. In addition to accommodation in clean
rooms with great views, these hostels provide
their guests with a warm and hospitable family
environment. Residents of the basis are well
aware of the importance of nature and nature
conservation. Family hostels serve their guests
rich menus consisting of local products. Most
of the local food served in these hostels is either
produced by the family itself or bought from
neighbors, creating an economic flow benefiting
everyone in the community. Traditional wooden
This potential of the basin resulted in the GEF
Project paying special attention to the issue,
and a beekeeping committee was established
within the Camili Environmental Protection
and Development Association (later renamed
Machakheli Biosphere Reserve Protection and
Improvement Association), with representatives
from each village and bringing producers in
the region together. In
addition, many honey
producers were supported
via the small grants
program of the project.
Following
collaborative
work by the former
Ministry of Environment
and Forestry and Turkish
National
Commission
for UNESCO, a 27,152
hectares area of the Camili
Basin
was
declared,
because of its biological
diversity, natural resources,
and cultural and historical
treasures, a Biosphere
Reserve by UNESCO
on June 29, 2005 and included in the World
Network of Biosphere Reserves, and as the first
biosphere reserve of Turkey, serves as a source
of inspiration for others to follow.
The designation of Camili Basin as a biosphere
reserve aims to preserve biological diversity
in the region, sustain ecosystems, learn about
natural systems and changes taking place in
UNESCO
houses are furnished to accommodate visitors
to the basin. A survey conducted in the region
showed that 99% of the visitors wanted to stay
in traditional wooden houses. Reasons cited
include warm environment, hospitality, getting
to know traditional life and culture, clean
rooms, and of course local foods. Beekeeping
has been a staple of the local economy in Camili
basin for centuries. Prior to
research and development
activities led by TEMA,
The Turkish Foundation
for
Combating
Soil
Erosion, for Reforestation
and
the
Protection
of
Natural
Habitats,
beekeeping was done using
traditional methods and
for honey production only.
Following these research
and development projects,
it was found that bees in
this region were Caucasian
bees, one of the three
important bee races in the
world with a high honey
yield. In addition, studies conducted showed
that the genetic structure of the bees in this
region had remained pure because foreign bees
were not able to enter the area. The Caucasian
bee species is important from a biological
diversity viewpoint because it lives only in
the Camili region in Turkey and because it is
genetically pure.
17
What is a Biosphere Reserve?
Biosphere reserves are sites that aim to
provide sustainable solutions to the tensions
between the goals of conserving biological
diversity, achieving economic development,
and preserving cultural values.
Within this framework, Biosphere Reserves
perform three main functions:
• Conservation: contributing to the
conservation of genetic diversity, species,
eco-systems and landscapes,
UNESCO
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• Development: supporting eco-friendly, social and cultural development,
• Logistics: supporting scientific studies,
monitoring, education, and exchange of
information on nature conservation and
development efforts.
Biosphere
reserves
provide
unique
opportunities for research, education and
recreational activities.
Biosphere reserves contain exemplary
life support systems for erosion control,
soil fertility, regulation of river regimes,
sustainability of underground water
resources, nitrogen cycle, and prevention of
air and water pollution.
One of the most important goals of biosphere
reserves is to support scientific studies on the
use of natural resources and improvement of
the quality of human life without making a
negative impact on the environment.
Biosphere reserves are sites that combine
biological and cultural diversity with
economic and social development by
achieving harmony between people and their
environments, and are ideal for the testing
and demonstration of innovative approaches
to sustainable development at all levels from
local to global.
The designation of an area as a biosphere
reserve results in a significant transformation
in the area. In biosphere reserves, it is crucial
to ensure the participation of the local
community in all processes. Management
should be transparent, open to evolving, and
flexible. This approach requires perseverance,
patience and creativity, and is the only way
to mitigate political, economic and social
pressures on natural and cultural values.
There are traditional ways of land and
resource use in many parts of the world
that have been sustained for many centuries
without causing major structural damage
to nature. These historically accumulated
uses can be transferred to contemporary
land and resource utilization processes,
creating harmony between the needs of
local communities and natural, cultural and
environmental conditions. Biosphere reserves
are one of the most important instruments
for reaching this goal.
Inflexible organizational structures constitute
one of the biggest obstacles to solving
the tensions between environment and
development. Biosphere reserves facilitate
the solution of problems between different
parties.
The designation of Camili Basin as a
biosphere reserve meets the expectations of
diverse groups ranging from public agencies
to research institutions, and from local
communities to future generations. Local
residents, for example, have a say in all stages
of decision making concerning water and soil
conservation, creation of jobs, preservation of
current land use patterns, traditions and life
styles, resolution of conflicts concerning the
management of the conservation area, and the
creation of a healthier environment for future
generations. Scientists and researchers, on the
other hand, can conduct studies on ecological
processes, biological diversity, and humannature relationships in biosphere reserves.
Biosphere reserves also aim to implement short
term and long term monitoring programs to
identify changes in ecosystems, and to share and
exchange information on these changes. High
level decision makers develop the technical and
organizational capacity needed by their staff to
improve sustainable use of natural resources in
biosphere reserves. This step also helps increase
public support for nature conservation.
Relevant public agencies start discussing
the organizational and legal mechanisms to
be put in place to improve the sustainable
management of natural resources at both local
and regional levels. Biosphere reserves can also
be thought of as instruments contributing to
the implementation of various international
agreements, including those on Biological
Diversity and Combating Desertification
(http://www.macahel.org.tr). Karçal Mountains
are one of the only places in Turkey where
declining populations of large mammals such
as brown bears, wolves, and chamois can still
thrive, and the designation of protected areas
such as Camili Biosphere Reserve in these
mountains is an important assurance for
effective nature conservation. However, for this
to gain acceptance and support by local interest
groups and communities, which is crucial for
its success, it is imperative that a lasting peace
is established between humans and the wildlife.
In addition, to sustain a habitable world in the
long term, it is important to avoid repeating
the mistakes of the past, and to replace the
traditional and human-centered approach to
the management of forests, meadows, water
resources and soil with an ecology-centered
approach.
On the other hand, experts agree that encircling
natural areas with fences and wires is not the
right approach to take, instead, efforts should
be made to create a sustainable and harmonious
relationship between local communities and
the wildlife, which would generate better results
in ecological terms. As an example, consultants
who conducted studies on the fauna in the
region within the framework of the GEF Project
point to the cooperation between domesticated
animals and mountain frogs, which has been
going on for generations. Mountain frogs (Rana
macronemis) living in the subalpine zone in
UNESCO
these systems over time, monitor traditional
land use patterns, share information on the
sustainable development of natural resources,
and cooperate for the solution of the problems
encountered in the management of natural
resources.
19
UNESCO
20
21
UNESCO
altitudes over 2000 meters feed on the flies and
bugs that flock to cattle dung left by animals
brought to the highlands by humans. Both
sides benefit from this relationship. Experts
recommend that, instead of a blanket ban on
keeping livestock in the highlands to prevent
overgrazing, a planned and controlled form
UNESCO
22
of animal husbandry should be encouraged
to achieve the twin goals of conservation
and utilization, for a blanket ban would be
detrimental to wildlife species as well. Karçal
Mountains offer the natural conditions required
for alternative nature-friendly socio-economic
activities such as organic farming.
Life Inside the Old Forests
For residents of Karçal Mountains, ecotourism is another means of achieving nature-friendly rural development. The
natural and cultural riches of the region are drawing the attention of an increasingly larger number of visitors. And this
attention is turning into a sustainable livelihood. Hospitable locals, cute mountain cabins, local food, wild nature, and a
colorful folklore. According to architect Mahmut Zeytinci, a master plan is needed for the subsequent development of rural
places such as Camili Basin. The use of existing houses, the location and construction of new buildings, energy use and
transportation network in the region should be planned using a holistic approach, according to Zeytinci, because unplanned
construction and use patterns may create irreversible problems. Priority should be given to the functional restoration of
existing building stock, with proper thermal insulation and energy savings, new construction should be limited, and simple,
local and natural materials should be used to build elegant and functional houses. “This region should be exemplary not only
with the conservation of its rare flora and fauna, but also with the sustainable and natural lifestyle to be created. No project can
survive without making the local community happy and acquiring their consent, and happiness starts at home. This region has
remained self-sufficient for many centuries, and now the challenge is to keep it that way for many more”, says Zeytinci.
Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation
Karçal Mountains are also an ideal place for cross-border cooperation, which is becoming increasingly popular in many
parts of the world. Socio-cultural ties and close diplomatic relationships between Turkey and Georgia support cross-border
cooperation. As Camili Basin became the first biosphere reserve of Turkey on one side of the border, on the other side, after
years of collaborative work by Georgian government agencies and the WWF Caucasus Programme Office, Machakhela
National Park was established right across the Camili Basin. The only thing missing in the efforts of the two countries, which
share common goals and are based on common values, is the development of a holistic approach and deeper cooperation
in the solution of problems.
The chamois running back and forth on the mountains of Camili, Caspian snowcocks or spruce bark beetles know no
borders... This situation raises the question of why not to establish a “cross-border conservation area”? Nugzar Zazanashvili,
Nature Conservation Director of the WWF Caucasian Programma Office, underlines the benefits of cross-border nature
conservation cooperation both for nature conservation policies in general and for the areas protected: “These areas help
to harmonize nature conservation policies implemented on the two sides of the border, and they also attract the attention of
international aid organizations. Cooperation underlines common themes shared by decision makers on both sides, and helps
improve bilateral relations. Officials on both sides of the border, acting with common goals and strategies, conduct a more effective
campaign against activities such as illegal hunting and wildlife smuggling. Cooperation facilitates communication between the
two sides, as well as exchange of information and experts. The ultimate benefit is a more effective nature conservation on both
sides” (Kalem, S.).
UNESCO
A local group known as the “Machakheli Team” on the internet describe their goals as “to publicize the region, mainly
known among scientists for its pristine flora and forest ecosystems, the pure Caucasian bees with their superior genetic
qualities, and the Machakheli Honey” (www.macahel.com). “Organic farming is a way of life in the Camili Basin”, according
to People of Machakheli, and they say the village residents would not allow any development that would harm the bees in
the basin because beekeeping is a major economic activity. This is what they had to say on organic farming: “Chemical-free
production is not sufficient for organic farming. The environment in which the farming takes place is also very important.
You cannot grow healthy food in contaminated environments. Our farming activities take place in the easternmost part of the
Black Sea region, far away from industrial zones, and within old forests. In a world where people can hardly breathe because of
pollution, think of a place with minimal human activity within pristine forests. That place is Camili”.
23
It is possible to talk about the riches of Camili
Biosphere Reserve using numbers, definitions,
or the following categories. However, certain
things are bound to remain difficult to express,
such as the emotions mentioned in the
The Vision of Camili Biosphere Reserve
Camili Biosphere Reserve Vision
UNESCO
24
To develop an exemplary management
structure that ensures informed and active
participation of the local communities
and interest groups in the preservation of
natural and cultural values and in sustainable
development, and to make Camili Biosphere
Reserve one of the best at both local and
global level.
introduction of this book. Camili comes alive
in its values. Its nature, which adds value to
inhabitants, and its people, who add value to
nature, are parts of the same whole.
Recreational Values
With its traditional life style and pristine
environment, Camili promises an unrivaled
experience to its visitors. Tourism not only
provides a source of livelihood for the local
residents, it also helps raise awareness about
cultural and natural assets, and encourages
preservation at the local level.
Biological Diversity Values
Camili region has been ruled by Byzantine,
Seljuk, Mongolian, and Ottoman Empires
and by Russian and Georgian governments
at different periods in its history, and is now
within the boundaries of the Republic of
Turkey. Notable archeological and historical
sties in the Camili Basin include the Kemer
Bridge at the entrance to Efeler Village, the
İrmit Mosque in Maral Village, the church in
Uğur Village, the Tamara Bridge and two old
dungeons.
Camili Biosphere Reserve contains many
different species and ecosystems due to
elevation
differences
(350m-3500m).
From a conservation viewpoint, the most
important of those are the old natural and
mixed temperate zone rainforests containing
Caucasian Spruce (Picea orientalis), Oriental
Beech (Fagus orientalis), Sweet Chestnut
(Castanea sativa), and Caucasian Tilia
(Tilia rubra ssp. caucasica) trees, alpine
and subalpine ecosystems, and aquatic
communities. There are 990 plant species in
the Camili Biosphere Reserve, 23 of them
endemic to the region.
Because the local community lived an isolated
life for many years, villagers were able to
retain their traditions in the architecture and
construction of village houses and ancillary
buildings, and in the tools and materials
they used. Traditional folk dances and folk
music are still very much alive in the region.
Residents have established a Polyphonic
Choir of Elders to preserve their traditional
songs and pass them on to future generations.
Camili Biosphere Reserve has a fauna diversity
that was preserved thanks to minimal human
contact. Wildlife species that are prioritized
from a conservation viewpoint are the
genetically pure Caucasian bees, Brown bear
(Ursus arctos), chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra),
Caucasian black grouse (Tetrao mlokosiewiczi),
Caucasus viper (Vipera kaznakovi) Caucasian
salamander (Mertensiella caucasica), big
spotted trout (Salmo trutta macrostigma), and
migratory raptors.
Cultural Values
In recent years, a number of changes have
been observed in traditional farming practices.
People no longer cut shingles from spruce
trees for roofing, as roofs are now covered by
corrugated sheet. As the residents get older
and fewer people participate in the seasonal
migration to highlands, grazing also declines.
Honey is widely produced for sale outside the
region, but the trademark of Camili is not used
effectively. There is real potential to increase
honey production within limits of sustainability,
and to use the Camili brand in the marketing of
honey and other natural products. An important
development in this regard was UNESCO’s
patenting and certifying of the organic honey
and Caucasian queen bee products of the
region in 2010. In addition, the name and
the logo of the “Camili Biosphere Reserve”
were registered by the Turkish Patent Institute
under the name of the Ministry of Foresty and
Water Affairs, and the Ministry transferred
the rights related to the use of this name and
logo to producers in the basin. Production of
queen bees has become an important source of
livelihood, and the production of handicrafts
for sale to visitors is growing. The traditional
and self-sufficient economy of the Camili Basin
is closely related to life and forests, and follows
the rhythms of nature. This nature-based self
sufficiency does not constitute a threat to the
sustainability of natural resources. Integration
with markets outside the region is difficult due
to the remoteness of the region, harsh climate,
and limited and high-cost transportation.
Camili represents an exemplary and sustainable
adaptation to these conditions, and people of
Camili make their livelihood almost entirely
out of local resources.
There are many nature-friendly economic
activities that support sustainable development
in the region, such as the production of queen
bees, organic honey and hazelnuts, hostel
keeping, and providing guiding services, and
the number of such activities is on the rise.
With the increase in the importance of these
activities, more and more people hailing from
the region but residing elsewhere return to the
basin, especially during the summer. These
activities constitute an important source of
income for people residing year-round in
the basin. Camili Biosphere Reserve is also
a tourist destination, both domestic and
international, with its biological diversity and
natural treasures, and the traditional way of
life, hospitality, and accommodation it provides
its visitors. Visited by thousands of domestic
and international visitors, Camili Biosphere
Reserve is a rare and successful example of
how to combine preservation of cultural values
with biological diversity, with a wide range of
economic activities from hostel keeping to
UNESCO
Life in Camili is based on constant struggle
with nature because winter conditions are very
harsh. People in the basin are dependent on
nature for their livelihood. The relationship
between humans and nature is based on
a traditional model, with knowledge and
experiences inherited from the past. Relations
with nature are formed around agricultural
production, utilization of plants for nutrition
and healing purposes, extraction of wood for
fuel and construction purposes, extensive
livestock grazing, beekeeping and utilizing
wildlife animals.
25
guiding services, and from producing queen
bees to honey production.
UNESCO
26
Providing the right balance between economic
development and nature conservation requires,
on the one hand, improving the sustainable
livelihood of local communities, and on the
other hand, providing support for achieving
the desired level of economic development. The
2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development, also known as “Rio+20”,
focused on green economy and sustainable
development, and put equal emphasis in its
outcome document on the need for the
improvement of the livelihood
of rural populations and the
conservation of biological
diversity, underlining the
importance of the concept of
Biosphere Reserves. Biosphere
reserves are protected areas
that simultaneously prioritize
human needs and nature
conservation.
The 1995 Seville Strategy, which forms the legal
basis of biosphere reserves and was drawn up
in the Spanish city of Seville, defines biosphere
reserves as areas that encourage sustainable
economic and human development, and at
the same time provide help protect species,
genetic resources and ecosystems. The Seville
Strategy also states that resources in these areas
should be managed in a sustainable manner by
the local communities, public agencies, civil
society organizations, and economic and other
interest groups.
Biosphere Reserves are nature conservation
areas that put a great importance on the
development of local communities, and achieve
this development in a sustainable manner
through activities that do no harm to natural
resources and biological diversity, also called
“Green Economy”. Therefore, designation of
more biosphere reserves in Turkey and in
other parts of the world would contribute to
achieving the goals expressed in the Outcome
Document of the Rio+20 Conference, goals
such as preserving biological diversity and
supporting the economic development of local
communities. With its unique combination
of biological diversity, natural
resources, and local culture, Camili
Biosphere Reserve is exceptional
both at national and international
levels. Traditional uses and ways
of life are preserved, sometimes
integrated with modern methods,
which is a reflection of the ability
of the people of Camili Basin to adapt
to changing circumstances while remaining
respectful to their past and traditions. People
of Camili basin have recognized not only the
difficulty of the terrain, but also the value of
the nature and its impact on their lives, and
utilized its natural resources by striking a fine
balance between use and conservation, thus
demonstrating an early and successful example
of sustainable use and making Camili Biosphere
Reserve an important source of prestige for
Turkey. We have a collective responsibility to
spread their message and experiences to other
regions with similar characteristics.
Nature-People-Nature
UNESCO
28
O
n the 60 km. Borçka-Camili road, as
you move along the Camili Crossing,
which is 25 km. away from the county
center of Borçka and has an altitude of 1,879
m., you may lose your sense of time and space
on the narrow road that barely negotiates its
way through the forest. Surrounded by lush
greenery, you can feel the smell and the silence
of the forest, and feel as if you have always
belonged to this place and this time.
The altitude is 1,870 m. on the Camili Crossing,
drops to 350 m. in the basin where Camili
Village is located, and is as high as
3,490 meters on an unnamed hill in
the Karçal Mountains that surround
the basin.
The geography and the climate of the
region and the dense forests make
you feel as if you are surrounded by
forests, lost within greenery amid
mountains. This eery feeling is soon
replaced by a deep sense of peace,
making you feel free like never
before, despite -or maybe because
of- being lost. It is not easy to discern
the source of this feeling at first, difficult to
decide whether it is the grandeur of nature or
your own bewilderment at not having noticed
what nature offers before, or both, or something
else. It is only after you reach Camili and meet
with and listen to the stories of its people that
you can understand the source of this feeling.
On the way back, what you have read and heard
about the place is mixed with the stories of
people you have met, and inspires the following
story on the ancient roots of the interaction
between nature, people, history and culture.
From Machakheli
We have climbed mountains for many years,
and every time we did, the nature rose within us.
That summer I, a product of natural chemistry,
was hiking in the nature, that is to say right in the
middle of my nature, in the Black Sea region. My
group and I set off towards the Gorgit highland
in Machakheli, the easternmost, the least visited
and the most lovable part of The Black Sea. We
left the Dedaena Hostel in Efeler Village, where
we spent night, early in the morning. We left
feeling that it would be wrong to keep people
whose hearts are set on enjoying every ounce
of sunlight waiting. You can reach Gorgit hamlet
following a 40 minute drive. The highland starts
from the valley where Efeler village is located,
and rises up to the mountains. Like in many
other parts of the Black Sea region, the journey
is through forests. During this 40- minute drive,
you can feel the wind on your face, through
tens of centenarian trees, listening to their
conversation with the wind. “Deep serenity
within peace”, when you reach the hamlet, you
can produce multiple descriptions of happiness
simply by looking at the faces of the participants.
Everyone is happy, everyone is perceptibly
aware of their presence in that place.
We took our backpacks from the truck, made
final checks, and started our hike along the trail
made by humans over thousands of years. Our
destination is the Gorgit highland settlement.
From this point onwards, it is all about the
connection you form between yourself and
being there. Although some have difficulty
connecting with their chemistry, with the maker
of their chemistry, it is our job to show them the
way. It is good to know that everything is okay.
The trail leads up a slope, and we reach a plain
after a 20 minute walk up the slope. We had a 10
minute break here, drank spring water flowing
out of a wooden spout, and took some rest in
the arbor built by the villagers. We continued
our discussion, started last night over dinner,
of what awaited us in the highlands, checked
that everyone was well and okay, shouldered
our backpacks one more time, and took up our
journey on the trail of the past. The region is
covered with dense forest vegetation. Majestic
centenarian trees are everywhere, and even the
undergrowth consists of tall forest trees. You
feel as if in a magic dream, on a misty day.
Everyone was watching the landscape. No one
talked about their exhaustion. We all know about
UNESCO
to Gorgit Highland
29
Machakheli
UNESCO
30
Karçal Mountains are described as one of the
“hotspots” of Turkey’s forests. Considered to
be one of the most important ecological zones
on earth, Caucasia consists of two parallel
mountain systems and plateaus between
them: The “Greater Caucasus” and the “Lesser
Caucasus” ranges. The former extends from
the Russian city of Sochi on the Black Sea to
Baku on the Caspian Sea, and the latter starts
from the northeast part of Turkey and extends
into Georgia. Karçal Mountains are located at
the easternmost part of the Eastern Black Sea
Mountains, which forms the backbone of the
Lesser Caucasus range, between Çoruh River
and Turkish-Georgian border. The bedrock is
mostly volcanic. It has a surface area of around
140 thousand hectares, and the altitude varies
between 150 meters and 3,490 meters. These
mountains, which form one of the highest
sections of the Black Sea Region, are named after
its highest point, the Karçal Hill. Located on the
shores of the Çoruh River, the city of Artvin
marks the southern boundary of the “hotspot”,
and Borçka county center marks its western
boundary. To the east, the Camili basin on the
Turkish-Georgian border and settlements in
the basin are also important. Camili region, also
known as Machakheli and located in the upper
basin of Machakhela-Tskali Stream, which is a
tributary of Çoruh within the Adjara region of
Georgia, started to draw a lot of well-deserved
attention in recent years.
Its natural privileges, in other words geographical
features, have shaped the history, culture and
people of Camili, and gave the region its name,
“Machakheli”, which means “a natural cavity
amid high mountains”. Machakheli today is
It was as if the first house in the entrance to
the highland settlement was inviting us to
be its guests, have our lunch there and take
some rest. We left our backpacks, where our
feet naturally took us, to the wooden balcony
in front of the house, and let our thoughts and
feelings wander around the highland. Now the
connection everyone formed with their inner
chemistry was free of time and space. After a
short stroll around, we gathered around a small
bonfire. We ate our rations, sang our songs, and
told our stories. Everyone had a story to tell. It
was time to visit the waterfall now, which was
right next to the settlement, on the road from
Gorgit to Beyaz Su highland. We shouldered
our backpacks and set off towards the waterfall,
leaving some of us behind. To meet again about
an hour later.
The stream made up of melting snow water
flows to the plains through a steep slope on the
part of the highland. This is where we meet the
Gorgit waterfall. The water is cold, but those of
us who wish to have that privilege have come
prepared with the necessary equipment to
dive into the water and feel the sprinkle of the
UNESCO
this feeling from our first trail hike. Added to this
was the awareness of being in the magnificent
nature of Machakheli. Gorgit highland
settlement is reached after a three and a half
hour trek, which proceeds very slowly. Forests
in this region are a wonder of nature and were
designated as a Nature Conservation Area. Even
the roofs of the wooden houses in the highland
settlement are made of bark, which attests to
the fact that this is a rare region that has kept its
traditions for centuries. An unmatched nature
full of perfectly even meadows, centenarian
highland trees at an altitude of 1700 meters,
rivers flowing across plains, and giant rocks
from summits.
31
the name given to the valley and the historical
region covering the Artvin province of Turkey
and Adjara region of Georgia.
UNESCO
32
Hertvis, the Georgian name of the Camili village,
is made up of the Georgian words Hevi (valley
or river) and irtvis (mixing, merging). Hertvis
used to be the center of the Ottoman sandjak
of Machakheli. The name of the settlement was
changed to Camili in 1925. Camili later became
the center of the subdistrict also called Camili.
The subdistrict of Camili consists of the Camili,
Düzenli, Efeler, Kayalar, Maral and Uğur
villages. Currently, the word Camili is used to
refer to the wider area containing all of these
villages.
The account of the origins of the name
Machakheli are roughly similar in different
sources. According to folk etymology, the
word is derived from “maca” (wrist) and
“heli” (hand). Attorney Haydar Zengin, an old
resident of Machakheli, tells this story in his
book titled “Machakheli the Hidden Paradise”
(“Saklı Cennet Macaheli”):
“Machakheli has a unique geographical and
political structure not seen in other parts of
Turkey. Valleys starting from mountains that
are over three thousand meters high, apart
from the crossing that has an altitude of about
two thousand meters, and rivers collected in the
basins of these valleys turn into a single valley
and a single stream in Camili village, and extend
towards the Black Sea. In other words, the
geography of Machakheli resembles a hand, with
its wrist the Camili village, its fingers extending
to mountains, and its palm facing the heavens,
where mountains are the fingers and valleys are
the space between fingers. In Georgian language,
a human hand is called “Heli”, and “Maca”
means wrist. It is said that the word Machakheli
is derived from these two words, because the
geography resembles a wrist and a hand, as
explained above.” (Zengin, H.).
We also had talks interrupted by laughters,
started with abrupt words. As we got close to
the hamlet, we saw our truck waiting us in the
shadow of a pear tree. We came down the slope
with excitement, sat in our seats, exhausted
with our feelings and thoughts about life. Lots
of people visit the Black Sea region, and on their
return, many leave their hearts behind.
We reached Efeler village before dark. Uncle
Fehmi, the local keeper of the Dedaena hostel,
who has a heart as beautiful as the nature, met
us on the road. Uncle Fehmi is as concerned
about us every time we go on a tour as our
parents, and has enough love in his heart to take
individual care of everyone. Thank you for being
there. We had our supper in the dining room
of the hostel. This dining/living room, which is
made of wood and has a nature-friendly design,
is also used for social gatherings in the village.
If you have any luck, you can also watch the
world-famous troupe performing Georgian
folk dances here during evenings. You can have
the privilege of being one of the people, who
take their places around the large fireplace and
chase their dreams in the shadows of the fire.
For dinner, you will have Georgian delicacies,
prepared in a most natural and traditional
manner. It is also possible to arrange a special
menu. The dining room is self-service and all
you can eat. After a day in the nature, it will be
really difficult to constrain yourself. But that is
okay, for what you eat here does not turn into
fat. You will expend all of it and some more in
tomorrow’s hike. After dinner, you can enjoy the
special tea made with the famed tasty water of
these lands. Those who do not wish the day to
be over can linger around the fireplace a little
longer (Beşli, E. A.).
UNESCO
waterfall on their faces. No need to worry about
catching cold, because highland air will not
make you sick. If you do the right things with the
right equipment, cold will only keep you alert
and make you stronger. And I am yet to meet
anyone who got sick in the highlands. Gorgit
highland is one of our favorite trekking routes
in the Black Sea region. What you experience
here is pure privilege. This is why you will want
to take pictures of everything, and remember
every moment. That day, as we are going
through all of this, snapshots many of us are not
aware of and have not dreamt of and certainly
not laid eyes upon may be creating a journal
of our journey outside of time and space. It is
time to go back to the highland settlement, and
we set off towards the hostel to avoid travelling
in the dark. We met with the rest of the group
who stayed in Gorgit, and packed our stuff. We
took one more rest, made sure no equipment or
garbage was left behind, and started our trek.
Now the walk is even more enjoyable. After all
the things we went through in our inner worlds,
no one cared about fatigue, cold or a little pain
in the feet. Everyone was silent. I knew why.
Maybe they did too. When they went back to
city, they would mostly talk about the muted
screams of this silence. On the way back, mist
turned into a very fine drizzle. It almost felt like
rain, and the drizzle formed dewlike drops on
the grass. We walked with our feet rustling the
wet grass. We watched the drops gathering on
the tips of the leaves, the wind blew drops to
our faces, and we felt every drop touching our
faces deep in our hearts. As we watched the
nature in the shadow of the centenarian trees
under which we took some rest, we spoke little
and shared a lot.
33
Camili from the 3rd Century B.C. to Present
UNESCO
34
The known history of Camili goes back to the 3rd
century B.C., to King Pharnavaz of the Kingdom
of Iberia, and to the 12th century, to Queen
Tamar of Georgia (1184-1215). Queen Tamar’s
grave is thought to be in Camili, and during her
reign, Georgia reached the peak of its power and
became a minor empire. However, the Mongolian
invasion starting in the 1200s and Timur’s
invasion in the 14th and the 15th centuries
destroyed Georgia, and the country came to the
brink of complete economic meltdown. Following
the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans in
1453, Georgia’s ties with Europe were cut, and
it was squeezed between the Ottoman Empire
and Iran. In the 16th century, the western part
of Georgia came under the Ottoman rule, and
the eastern part under the Iranian control. In the
18th century, Russia guaranteed the territorial
integrity and borders of Georgia, but following
the bloody suppression of numerous uprisings
in 1804, many parts of Georgia came under the
Russian rule between 1801-1864. Poti and Batumi
ports and the southwestern parts of the presentday Georgia remained under the Ottoman rule a
little longer. However, they also came under the
Russian rule following the Russo-Turkish War of
1877-1878. After this war, all of Georgia became
part of the Russian Empire.
The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 has also
triggered a massive wave of migration. The
migration started in 1878-1879, immediately after
the end of the war, but involved larger and larger
areas over the years. The worsening economic and
social conditions, the harsh attitude of the Russian
administrators, and the Georgian Muslims’
commitment to their religion were the most
important factors accelerating the migration.
Migration constitutes the biggest tragedy in the
history and memories of the people of this region.
The Congress of Berlin, a meeting held between
June 13 and 13 July 1878 with the participation of
the representatives of the Great Powers of the time
and the Ottoman Empire, presented the Muslim
population who used to live under Ottoman rule
with a choice: They could either keep living in
their lands, this time under the Russian rule, or
migrate to the Ottoman Empire. The exercise of
this choice granted by the Congress of Berlin was
Roads leading to and out of the Camili region, which
consists of six villages of the Borçka county of the province
of Artvin, remained open this year, for the first time in
its history, thanks to the maintenance center that was
opened and its snow removal activities (22 March 2013).
10th Regional Directorate of Highways,
following orders of the Governorship of Artvin,
established a maintenance center for snow
removal in the vicinity of the Camili Crossing,
which is 25 km away from the county center
of Borçka and has an altitude of 1870 meters.
The center has a staff of 10 people and 3 winter
service vehicles.
Teams were able to keep the 60 km long BorçkaCamili road open at all times, even during
the harshest season, despite the high risk of
avalanches and a snow depth of over 2 meters
in some places. During heavy snowfall and
blizzards, teams had to remove snow as much
as three times a day.
“Two soldiers martyred in border
outpost”
Governor N. Kalkan said residents of the Camili
region were resigned to the closing of their roads
for about 5 months during winter, and added:
“The closing of these roads was seen as natural.
In case of emergencies, access to the region was
provided through Georgia, following a protocol
signed for this purpose.
We even have the graves of two soldiers in the
backyard of the border outpost. These soldiers
were martyred, long ago, while on duty, but their
bodies could not be sent to their hometowns
because of snow, and they were buried in the
UNESCO
Roads Remained
Open This Year, For
the First Time Ever
35
to be via a referendum. Prior to the referendum,
Batumi Chief Pegava Hemit Bey, supporting the
Turkish side, held rallies and ran a campaign
for the referendum. At that time, there were 18
villages in Machakheli. Of those, 6 chose Turkey
and the remaining 12 chose Russia. A treaty made
in Istanbul on 27 January 1879 set an official date
for migrations.
UNESCO
36
Initially, the latest migration date was set as 3
February 1882, which was later extended to 1884.
However, migration did not stop at date either,
and continued until about 1921.
Today, Camili is the name of the region where
these six villages who made their choices in favor
of Turkey are located.
Difficult roads
To reach Camili, you first have to traverse the
snowy roads. People in this region are still
struggling with these roads, the same ones
their forefathers used 130 years ago when they
migrated, which remain closed for five months
during the winter.
The only transportation to Machakheli was
through footpaths until 1968, when a dirt road
was built, but because it remained closed for
five months during the winter, the road was of
limited use. Road construction continued on and
off for many years. Finally, the construction of an
asphalt road was completed in 2013, to solve the
transportation problem once and for all.
“Commander of the Regiment used
to say farewell to his soldiers”
Kalkan said the visitors’ book of the Border
Battalion was signed by a high ranking state
official for the first time in January this year,
and added: “Commander of the Regiment
used to say farewell to soldier on border patrol
duty, saying ‘see you in the spring’. In January
this year, we accompanied the Commander
to the region, and it was the first time a public
administrator signed their visitors’ book, which
made us proud.”
Mevlüt Özaydın (73) said with the roads staying
open, they realized the region was alive in
winter too, and added: “For years, we were not
able to have anchovy and oranges in winter, but
this year we ate to our heart’s content.”
Adnan Zühtü Paker (89), the eldest resident of
Camili, recalled how a soldier had lost his life
after falling from a tree, many years ago, and said:
“Back then, there were no roads in our village,
and the winter had been very harsh. They could
not take the martyr’s body to Trabzon. My father
was the village imam, he led the funeral service,
and I helped with the burial of our martyr here
in these lands.”
(Source:
AA
kapanmadi)
“We used to pull the sick on sleds”
Osman Aslan (62), a resident of the Camili
village, said transportation was very difficult in
the winter. Aslan said access to the region was
via Georgia in cases of emergencies, and added:
“We used to go to Batumi from Camili, pulling
the sick on sledges where snow closed the road.
We would then go to Hopa using the Sarp border
crossing, then travel to Borçka. This was a travel
that took hours. Thankfully we did not have this
problem this year. God bless our Governor and
Highway teams. They solved our problem. The
road is open today, we can easily go to and fro
from our village to the country center. The road
remained closed for only a few days.”
:
http://www.haber7.com/neler-oluyor-
h a y a t t a / h a b e r / 1 0 0 4 9 4 4 - i l k- k e z - b u - y i l - u l a s i m a -
UNESCO
backyard of the border outpost. This is the most
striking evidence of just how harsh the winters
are in the Camili region.”
37
Life in Camili
Nature is wise
UNESCO
38
E
veryone in Camili has a story about
impassable roads. So does Mevlüt
Özaydın, who was an ambulance driver
for the health center for 26 years.
We said ambulance driver, but this is a bit
inaccurate as it became clear, as Mr. Mevlüt
talked, that the health center did not have an
ambulance until 1992. He used to carry the
sick in a jeep. That is to say, when the road
conditions allowed. Back then, it took four and
a half hours to reach Borçka from Camili. Most
of Mr. Mevlüt’s passengers were women on the
brink of giving birth. And the jeep witnessed
many births as the journey took four and a half
hours. He says he cannot forget the time when
he was squeezed in between two avalanches.
“It was just the two of us, me and the patient,”
he says, “All of a sudden, we found ourselves in
the middle of two avalanches. I had to shovel the
snow every step of the way, and finally got the jeep
down”. He also remembers a severely wounded
Village Services worker who had a dynamite
exploding in his hands. It is a sad story, racing
a worker, in the 1990s, over the same road he
was helping to maintain, while he is in a coma.
Fortunately, they arrived in the hospital in time,
and the worker’s life was saved.
At the end of our conversation Mr. Mevlüt
adds, with noticeable pride, that his son is now
working as a health assistant in the same Health
Center where he served for 26 years. “But,” he
adds, “given Camili’s road conditions, carrying
patients in the jeep was certainly better than
carrying them in an ambulance.”
Maybe this is nature’s way of preserving its
most cherished treasures, by making roads
impassable. Maybe Camili would be a different
place today if it weren’t for the harsh winter that
closed the roads five months a year.
Privileges provided and denied by nature shape
human lives to a very significant extent, an
observation you can make upon first arrival in
the village, even in your first dinner...
Grape stems
It is a quiet September night of 2012, and the
smell of mist and forest is hanging in the air.
You reach a Machakheli house in Düzenli
village, where human warmth and home cooked
meals are served generously, walking through
Fresh Apples
When the school term ended and I went to
not crushed by their own weight. I fill this pit up
the village to spend the summer, I first visited
with apples until about 20 cm from the top. After
the elders, kissed their hands, and took their
adding another 10 cm of dried grass, I fill the
blessings. In 1950, towards the end of June,
empty space with fine, flour-like soil, and cover
I made another such visit, to Aunt Hatice, a
the pit with wooden planks. I prepare a couple of
close relative of mine. After I kissed her hand,
these pits, some larger than others. When I need
exchanged niceties and started our little chat,
apples for the sick or for another reason, I open
she rose, left the room, and came back, five
one of the pits. As long as the pit remains closed,
minutes later, carrying a plate full off Demirelma
apples stored this way emerge out of the pit like
apples and apples of two more varieties. I knew
they were harvested yesterday. The apples you
that by this time, at the end of June, the harvest
see are from the last pit I opened.”
time for apples was long past in the region, and
was curious about where she got the apples
Traditional fruit storage method widely used in
from. He answered my question with a warm
Machakheli is similar to Aunt Hatice’s method.
smile, in her native accented Georgian: “My
The best fruits suitable for storage are selected
dear boy! You know how I keep these? After the
for consumption during the winter. They are
harvest, without losing any time, I pick the best
buried in pits insulated with lots of cornsilk, to
ones, the ones without any bruises or stains on
prevent freezing. Then, they are retrieved from
them. I take them carefully to a bowl, wash them
the pit as the need arises, with the spoiled ones
gently, and then dry them with a soft cloth.
being removed to protect the rest, When we
Then, I place them in a pit I dug in the driest
were kids, apple varieties were mostly consumed
part of the hayloft, about a meter deep, filled
fresh, or turned into molasses. They would be
with fine dried grass, very carefully. In between
dried in hot dry summer days. They would be
stacks, I add extra dried grass so that they are
given away to friends and relatives, and some,
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Underground
39
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40
moonlight streets and trees, and rustling fallen
leaves and barks. This is the house where İsmail
Ertürk, the director of the Choir of Elders,
and his son, Hayrettin Ertürk, live with their
families. It has a large living room, with sofas
lining the walls, a dining table, and a heating
stove with a kettle on it. Ladies of the house are
more energetic than Caucasian bees, cheerful,
friendly, and keep serving one delicacy after
another: Minty yogurt soup, fried eggplants
with yogurt sauce, pickled beans, corn bread,
eggplant stew with meat, red kidney beans,
yogurt, rice, and stuffed peppers. The taste of the
dishes, especially those with coriander, lingers
in your mouth, difficult to describe. Beside all
these delicacies, fragrant honey and yogurt are
also served. Yogurt, honey and bite-size pieces
of cornbread are mixed in bowls.
It is pointless to resist. Take a spoon, get closer
to the enamel bowl. It tastes even better than it
looks: “Cornbread, yogurt and honey”. Some of
us are used to having cornflakes for breakfast,
the type found in market shelves in colorful
packaging. Then we add some milk on it, the
type that is sold in cartons, the type you can
store in a fridge for days on end.
Cornbread, yogurt and honey: You wonder,
why did we never think of this before? Why in
Machakheli and not some place else? Cornbread,
yogurt and honey is the best example of how
the local people take advantage of what the
nature offers. It is the best indicator of how they
involve what the nature offers in their lives, with
pleasure, with gratefulness, with zest, and with
good grace. Just like anchovy in Trabzon, isot
pepper in Urfa, and herb pastries of İzmir. You
take what the nature offers, and turn it into a
delicacy.
It is possible today, with globalization and
advances in transportation, to carry what is
grown in distant parts of the globe to where you
live, and to find in Turkey, for example, bananas
imported from other continents, right next to
those locally grown in Alanya. Transporting
what the nature offers on the Equator to Turkey,
on board ocean going ships, at the cost of
emitting tonnes of carbondioxide to air. As they
say, it’s a matter of choice!
Treats never stop flowing. “Papa” is next,
which is a dessert made of Isabella or Georgian
(purple) grape and corn flour. Both are from
the field just off the village. Grapes are crushed
and boiled until they turn into molasses, and
corn flour is added. Unlike the puddings sold
in colorful little packages in “super” markets in
big cities, this one is real, natural, and without
any additives. What is more, “papa” is zerogarbage: “What we don’t eat, we give it to the
chickens”, explains Melek, the daughter in law.
What about the stems, you could ask, but the
stems are organic too, you deposit them in the
soil, and they makes the soil richer. Commercial
pudding, on the other hand, contains sugar,
corn starch, thickener (carrageenan), milk
powder, and cocoa, and undergoes whisking,
mixing, packaging, parceling, and shipping
before taking its place on the shelves. A
chocolate pudding mix consists of 60% sugar,
18% corn starch, 12% cacao, 9.5% milk powder
and 0.5% thickener (carrageenan). Disposal
of the waste generated during the production
of pudding needs to comply with ISO 14001
In Machakheli, especially in spring and autumn,
snowfall and freezing temperatures sometimes
arrive at the most unexpected time. When this
happens in the spring, at a time when fruit
trees are blooming, it may destroy all or most
of the fruits, especially the early bloomers. In
the autumn, early snowfall destroys fruits that
are still not harvested. In short, the fate of the
fruits in Machakheli depends on the whims
of the weather. This is why the following is the
favorite question among people originally from
Machakheli, but living in other places: “How are
the fruits this year?” (Zengin, H.).
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like the pear, would be prepared as animal feed
for winter. In recent years, however, more and
more people are selling them on the market.
41
Environmental Management System standards.
These standards are about the monitoring of
compliance with legislation on environmental
accidents, energy use, and waste reduction.
Sliced pumpkins
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42
Treats never stop flowing in Camili. This time
it is the turn of “kabak felisi”, a dessert made of
sliced black pumpkins. Black pumpkin fresh
from the garden is sliced with its skin and simply
cooked in the heating stove, with nothing else.
No sugar, no additives. You can simply start
spooning the soft, roasted slice.
Finally, it is the turn of apples and pears,
maybe picked this morning, and all you have is
gratitude.
In the meantime, commercials are on TV... An
advertisement for fruit juice – juice in cartons…
Mr. İsmail keeps up the chat. “We used to go to
other villages in the past, performed folk dances
in the weddings.
Georgian dances are very fast, exhausting, you
sweat a lot. We used to sleep in haylofts. Once I
was sweaty, slept in a hayloft and got pneumonia.
Haylofts are empty now. And you are leaving too.
We have extra beds; it would be no trouble at all...”
It is very difficult to say no to this warm invitation,
but it is already late, and Mrs. Hacer is waiting for
us...
Night is as it should be in Camili
In Camili, nights are dark! The only thing you
can see out of the window of the spcaious room
of the hostel in Camili village, which is filled
with the clean smell of the sheets, is darkness,
with the moonlight making its way through
clouds and entering the room. For us city
dwellers, who are used to seeing street lamps at
night, this is an alien feeling. It was on movie
once, in which an elderly man, 103 years old
and living in a village without electricity, was
saying, “Night is as it should be here, it is dark.
How else would you see the stars?”
The only thing familiar is the sound of the rain
tapping on the window. You try to guess what
you will see out of this window in the morning:
You might be just a few steps away from a steep,
rocky cliff, or deep in a jungle, or by the riverside.
Unfortunately, there is no evidence you can see
or hear, other than the sound of the rain. You
have no choice, but leave the question of where
you are, to be answered in the morning, and fall
into a deep sleep listening to the rain tapping on
the windows.
Snapshots
of Old Lives in
Understanding examples of social cooperation
unrelenting conditions or their consequences.
in Machakheli of decades ago is only possible if
They displayed all-inclusive and exemplary
you have a good grasp of the geographical and
cooperation,
political structure of the region...
measures the conditions required, using their
People of Machakheli lived their lives in
geographical and political conditions unique to
the region. At that time, Machakheli, with all of
its human population and other living things,
had to live the life of a completely self-sufficient
region, following no written laws, but rules of
survival. ...
All sorts of human needs you can think of,
including those needed during emergencies,
had to be carried from at least 60 km. away. All
took
the
most
appropriate
sharp intellects and honed skills, and managed
to present the world with astonishing stories.
People of Machakheli were quick to adapt their
life styles to the conditions of the region. The
most important challenge in an economy that
is physically and completely isolated from the
rest of world for the greater part of the year is
to take and implement the necessary measures
for a normal life. This meant identifying all the
needs vital for human survival, and producing
transportation into and out of the region had
them using local resources. At least as
to be made using draft animals in the summer,
important was again identifying those items
and on the backs of humans in the winter.
that could not be produced locally, procuring
People of Machakheli lived in an isolated and
a sufficient amount of them from the outside,
completely closed economy, but they never
and keeping them ready for use. People of
thought that their fate was sealed, and never
Machakheli developed solutions to all of these
gave up fighting with the hardships created by
problems... (Zengin, H.).
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Machakheli
43
Warmth of family
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44
She starts working in the kitchen at 07.00 in
the morning. Hacer Yavuz runs a two-storied,
20-bed hostel in Camili village, together
with her sons. The rooms of the hostel are
spotlessly clean, simple, and furnished in a
way that represents the character of the region.
They have every amenity needed to provide a
comfortable accommodation to their visitors:
Immaculate quilts, sheets, towels, hand-made
curtains, carpets, and delicious meals cooked
by Mrs. Hacer herself. There is a large balcony
running all the way around the house, sofas in
the balcony, and a timeless view that you can
watch reclining on the sofa. The duck family
that greets you in the morning is in the front
yard, so are pickled beans in jars, and neatly
stacked wood for the winter...
Mrs. Hacer brought up two sons and a daughter
in Camili. “I left my daughter on her own in high
school, she studied in Istanbul, graduated from
college, and is now working. She stands on her
own feet,” she says, “The boys will go to college in
Batumi”.
When we see the breakfast she laid out, we
cannot but ask where she learned cooking. She
points to her sister, Menşur Gülbin, and says,
“Her mother in law used to be the village cook,
catered for weddings and such. My sister is the
real cook here.” You realize she was being modest
only when you taste her kuymak (a cornmeal
dish), jams, beans and rice.
“This is all local food, but where do you buy other
stuff? Is there a grocer here?”, we ask, and learn
that all shopping is made in Borçka. But women
do not go to Borçka very frequently. Given the
road conditions between Camili and Borçka,
you might agree that this is good idea. They
have established a well-functioning system to
meet their needs: There is regular shuttle service
between the village and Borçka, and they give
their orders to the driver of this shuttle. There is
also a grocery in Camili, run by a young, pretty
lady. But we will tell her story later.
Mrs. Hacer says they accommodate a lot of
guests, especially during the summer. Her sons
45
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46
are a great help, taking care of reservations,
procurement and accounting. “Guests usually
stay one or at most two nights, then new guests
arrive. Laundry, ironing, cooking, sometimes
it is hard to keep up,” she says, but she is not
complaining, she is grateful for what life has
given her.
You can see that the relationship between Mrs.
Hacer and her sister is a special one, simply
by looking at their eyes. They are eager to talk
about each other’s skills and accomplishments.
It is obvious that her sister is at least as big of a
help to Mrs. Hacer as her sons, and she to her.
They are also next door neighbors. On busy
days, they work together in the hostel: Warmth
of family is the cure to all problems...
You’ll hear a sad folk song of the Black Sea
region in the background. “We have had cases of
cancer in Camili in the last 3-4 years,” says Mrs.
Hacer.
Mornings in Camili
Burak is Mrs. Menşur’s son, and a fifth-grade
student at Regional Camili Boarding Primary
School. Some nights, he stays at his aunt’s house
and goes to school from there. This is one of
those nights. Burak does not wear a uniform
at school, “Everyone wears their daily clothes,”
he says. He has breakfast at home and lunch
at school. During the breakfast, he watches an
animated movie on a laptop. Internet use is an
indispensable part of daily life in Camili, and so
are cell phones. Internet connection is reliable.
“We pay a monthly bill”, says Mrs. Hacer, Burak’s
aunt. Mrs. Hacer and her sister are not interested
in the internet, but use cell phones. “Internet is
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for the youngsters” says Mrs. Hacer, “they watch
cartoons, play games, and have chats”.
Burak walks to his school, which is just a
couple of blocks away, but he is taking it slow
with his breakfast, his mind is on the animated
movie. However, the breakfast is a rich one,
with scrambled eggs, jams, honey, fried dough
and pasta. It is time for school now, and Burak
leaves, waving. He climbs the small hill, walking
to school, and will be back at 03.00 P.M.
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48
Mornings are beautiful in Camili... Forest, kids,
ducks, food, music, internet, clean air, tea.
When you look at Camili, which consists of
houses on either side of the short street leading
to school, you might think of children waiting
for their school bus early in the morning. You
wonder if Burak is aware that he is walking to
school through paradise. You cannot decide
who is lucky and who is not so lucky. Camili is
a hidden paradise with deep valleys, imposing
foggy mountains, rhododendrons, clusters of
clouds, misty trails, never ending rains and
drizzles, ice blue plateau lakes, roaring rivers
and high waterfalls. With its old forests, strong
smell of corianders, woodpeckers, and cheerful,
good-humored and hospitable people, this
paradise cannot be expressed in words; it needs
to be experienced first hand. A magic basin
where you can understand what it means for
time to stop, where everything flows with peace
and grace. An ecological and cultural treasure
that remained hidden in Karçal Mountains,
where pure Caucasian bees, chamois, Caucasian
black grouse, wild trout, brown bears, golden
jackals and roe deers live in harmony with their
ecosystem and with the people of the region.
49
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Thank You Life
We have mentioned Mr. İsmail (İsmail Ertürk,
director of the Choir of Elders) above, in the
context of the dinner we had at his home in
Düzenli village. He is a friendly, sociable and
hospitable person, full of energy, and as they
used to say, “a perfect gentleman”. His talk
during the dinner is testimony to his culture,
foresight, and intelligence that dwarf everyone
else present.
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50
That evening, we set a date with Mr. İsmail, and
two days later, we met at the Visitors’ Center
of Camili Biosphere Reserve and had a chat.
First of all, Mr. İsmail is happy to live in Camili
and to have brought up his children here, he
is grateful for that to his ancestors and to life.
When you ask him about the time when they
first came to Machakheli, he gets sentimental,
and is unable to stop tears flowing from his
eyes. What Mr. İsmail had to say about life in
Machakhel, about its history and his memories,
were a confirmation of what we had already
heard. But you find something else in Mr.
İsmail’s talk, something that is rare among
people of Machakhel: this 80 something year old
gentleman is thankful to God, to nature, to his
ancestors, and to administrators. His thanks are
accompanied by tears. He is thankful for what
life has given him as he talks about how they
used to carry the sick to the hospital in shoulder
deep snow, how they shared their food with
neighbors during long winters, village festivals,
the rooms of the hotel where they stayed when
the choir of elders went to Tbilisi, the city, and
the people who filled the concert hall.
Mr. İsmail is thankful for the hardships he lived
through, for his gains and losses, for what he
likes and dislikes, for what he tasted and did not
taste, for what he knows and does not know, in
short for everything he has experienced. Despite
what he has seen in the big city where they gave
concerts and were given awards, despite the fact
that he carried sick people on steep mountain
roads for days on end, he is thankful that the
road is finally open. Whether it is the wisdom
of age, or benefits of living close to nature, it is
clear that we have a lot to learn from Mr. İsmail,
if we could just appreciate the lessons...
Eminent Trees of
Elders of the Machakheli region on the Georgian border
are coming to Beyoḡlu to perform their 200-300 year old
‘polyphonic’ Georgian folk songs, which they used to sing
in the fields and in weddings (2004).
Beyoğlu Voice Concerts, organized by Istanbul
Group whose motto ise “Different colors,
different voices”, is hosting on Monday,
April 12, a group you may not even heard of.
‘Machakhela Traditional Polyphonic Choir”,
also known as the “Machakhela Choir of Elders”,
will perform in Ses 1885 Theatre. This will be
the group’s first concert in Turkey, and second
in the world. The average age of the choir is 70.
These elderly musicians, of Georgian origin and
living on the Turkish side of the Machakheli
region straddling the Georgian-Turkish Border,
part of the Borçka county of Artvin, perform
traditional polyphonic Georgina songs. They
used to sing these 200-300 year old songs
in their villages, in their daily lives, without
realizing the full extent of their musical
value. Until, that is to say, two musicians of
Georgian origin, İberya Özkan and Bayar Şahin
discovered them. The two musicians formed
a choir, who went on stage for the first time
in the International Georgian Polyphony
Symposium in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. The
performance on April 12 in Ses Theatre will
be their second. The first album of the group,
recorded by Bayar Şahin in natural settings and
produced by Bayşah Müzik, will go on sale next
week. We listened to the story of the group
from İberya Özkan (İ.Ö.) and Bayar Şahin (B.Ş.).
How did this choir come together?
İ.Ö. I was raised in the Hayriye Village of Bursa.
Back then, the elders of the village used to
sing these polyphonic songs. When they
passed away, this tradition died with them. I
used to wonder where Machakheli is, whether
these songs were still sung. One day, I went to
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Machakheli
51
Milestone
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52
Mr. Kemal (N. Kemal Özdoğan, beekeeper)
was born in Camili, went to primary school
and middle school in Camili and high school
in Mersin, and had his undergraduate degree
in Public Administration from Hacettepe
University in Ankara. Upon graduation, he
did not want to have an office job in Ankara,
saying “it’s just not for me”, and returned to his
village in 1993. Back then, in Mr Kemal’s words,
there was nothing in Camili. There was only
Yücel Çağlar (Forest Engineer, founder of the
Research Association of Rural Environment
and Forestry), who was conducting field
studies on ecosystems. For more than a year,
Mr. Kemal accompanied Yücel Çağlar’s team in
the field. There were botanists and sociologists
in the team. A report was prepared upon
the completion of the field study. Mr. Kemal
says this report was a “milestone” for Camili.
“Because,” he says, “the report made some very
important observations”.
Environmental protection was high on the
agenda in those days, and following the
publication of the report, Camili Environmental
Protection and Development Association
(later renamed Machakheli Biosphere Reserve
Protection and Improvement Association)
was founded in 1995. “It was the villagers who
founded the association,” says Mr. Kemal, “It was
thanks to Professor Yücel’s study that the villagers
developed this awareness. The goal was to protect
this treasure. Back then, a lot of trees were cut
to build roads and for other needs. The idea that
you should not damage the forest took root at that
time. The association is still active; its members
reside in Camili. The association was founded
to protect this treasure.” Then, the Machakheli
Foundation was established by Machakhelians
living in Istanbul. “Things that are never
discussed today were discussed back then, what
to do in the long term, beekeeping, tourism. It was
villagers, Professor Yüksel, and other professors
who had this discussion. Beekeeping existed then
too, but people did not know about Caucasian
bees. Then, other university professors established
that the Caucasian bee was unique to Camili. It
happened gradually. The Caucasian bee thing
was discovered in 2000s.”
Upon realization of the importance of the
Caucasian bees, Machakheli Inc. (Macahel
A.Ş.) was established in 1997 to help with
the economic development of the region,
because Camili Environmental Protection
Association could not engage in commercial
activities. Mr. Kemal and members of the
Machakheli on the Georgian side, and recorded
their songs. But I had never been to the Turkish
Machakheli. Five years ago, Bayar Şahin played
me a cassette recorded 25 years ago. These
were songs performed by the elders of Turkish
Machakheli. I went there three years ago. We
found about 20 elders from different villages,
and brought them together. Upon our request,
they performed about 15 songs one after
another. And we recorded.
How were these songs performed in
daily life? What are their lyrics about?
B.Ş. These songs are sung while tilling the fields,
threshing corn, in weddings, funerals, farewells,
in every sphere of life. For example, the song
on tilling is performed by two groups as they
till the field, the first group on one end of the
field and the second group on the other end.
One group starts singing, with a rhythm that
matches the rhythm of tilling. 19 people in a
İ.Ö. The most important thing is that they are
polyphonic. Machakheli is the only place in
Turkey where you have traditional polyphonic
songs. People can sing monophonic songs
together, but it is very difficult to sing polyphonic
vocal songs.
20-person group start the song on the pedal
tone, repeating a four-line stanza. The soloist,
on the other hand, sings the lyrics. They have
lines such as “Come on lads, let’s till faster, let’s
cheer this field up, let the corns grow at once”.
When a stanza is over, the other group takes
over the pedal tone, without breaking the song
(Dabaoğlu, M. Radikal, 02 April 2004).
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Why are these songs important?
53
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54
Association held meetings in the villages to
encourage everyone to participate, publicizing
the company and its activities. Not everyone
joined, but they still brought the bees together,
and started keeping bees. In the meantime, the
Association continued its activities. Machakheli
Inc.’s beekeeping activities were supported by
Machakhelians in Istanbul too, and even by
some well to do residents of Artvin. One of the
supporters was the TEMA Foundation. TEMA
Foundation was invited to Camili, and they
visited the region in 1997. Hayrettin Karaca,
one of the founders and honorary presidents of
TEMA, was also among the group who visited
and conducted some studies. This was how
TEMA got involved in Camili’s life, and in 1998,
in beekeeping.
The Caucasian bee kept by geography
In Turkey, most bees are mobile and thus
hybrid. Compared to purebred bees, hybrid
bees produce less and lower-quality honey. In
Camili, however, bees could not mix with other
bees because of geography, and they remained
pure. The Caucasian bee is a purebred race,
and is considered to be one of the best three
bee races. This is why the breeding of these
bees is important. Pure Caucasian bees are also
used in genetic studies. The Ministry of Food,
Agriculture and Livestock has been providing
support for the protection of Caucasian bees in
the last 3-4 years.
Honey producers in Camili, when their
influence in Machakheli Inc. declined, decided
to go it alone. As Camili became better known,
especially from 1999-2000 onwards, its honey
also became famous and prices rose. The increase
in tourism to the region also contributed to its
publicity. This in turn encouraged producers of
Caucasian bee honey in Camili.
“Serious” honey producers, in Mr. Kemal’s
words, came together and formed a Beekeeping
Committee. Although 150 of the 300 households
in Camili kept bees, only 50-60 of them were
“serious” about beekeeping (i.e. had 20 or more
beehives and made a living out of honey), and
these became the members of the Beekeeping
Committee.
Mr. Kemal explains the Committee’s work as
follows: “We have 40 beekeepers. Members join
the Committee by submitting an application.
They accept producing bees following the
procedures established by the Committee. The
Committee sets criteria regarding the quality
of the honey produced (intra-basin beekeeping
criteria), and members undertake to comply with
these criteria. These criteria aim to protect the
quality of the pure Caucasian bee and its honey.”
When they first established the Committee, Mr.
Kemal and his friends decided to consider every
beekeeper in Machakheli an ex-officio member.
To explain the principles and procedures
of the Committee, they selected one or two
representatives from each village. Now they
meet three or four times a year, and discuss
problems of honey production. One of the most
important problems is that some people are
trying to bring hybrid races from outside the
region.
The story is an interesting one: Because they
are a purebred race, beehive colonies in Camili
are expensive. One colony sells for 1000 TRY
55
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in Camili, whereas it sells for 350 TRY in other
places. This makes some people greedy, and
they try to import bees from other regions
only to sell them as purebred race to unwitting
customers later. This practice corrupts the pure
bee colonies as well.
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56
Natural barriers prevented the entry of foreign
bees into the region for centuries, and by
bringing bees from other regions, just because
the local bees sell for 1000 TRY, people risk the
following: The bee race that remained pure for
thousands, maybe millions of years is corrupted
by three or four beehives carried in the trunk
of a van, over the road humans opened to bring
civilization, for a mere 4*1000 = 4000 TRY.
The Beekeeping Committee of Camili is trying
to prevent this abuse. To control bee transport
into and out of the region, the provincial
Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Livestock
designated the region “Gene Conservation Area
for pure Caucasian Bees”.
Natural beehives and foam boxes
There is also this story about foam boxes,
which just needs to be mentioned: There are
foam boxes used in queen bee production, and
these boxes are produced by certain companies.
There are now a lot of companies in may parts
of Turkey producing foam boxes for queen
bee production. “Let them produce, let them
sell, make money, let Turkey’s economy grow,”
say Mr. Kemal, “but let the economy of Camili
grow too, let the bees, nature, honey and people
of Camili win too”. He is thinking aloud now:
“Conservation and development activities in
Camili (projects, NGOs, tourism), are they
protecting the Caucasian bee race? Or are they
mixing everything up? Maybe people of Camili
could do this better if they were left to their own
devices... For example, we used to build beehives
out of lime trees. Lime trees had to be cut down
for that. But bees also used the lime trees to
make their honey. Now we are trying to tell
this to everyone. There are no wooden beehives
now, it is no longer a threat to the trees. It really
helped that we developed this awareness. Why
shoot ourselves in the foot? This is what people of
Camili are asking now. Environmental protection
issues are discussed in the Camili Environmental
Protection Association. And the agenda keeps
changing here, because new problems arise. There
is public awareness though, we hold meetings and
discuss all these issues”.
Orange Dreams
When you see the Regional Camili Boarding
Primary School from a distance, the first thing
you notice is that this building is different from
all the other buildings in Camili. The school
consists of two three-storey reinforced concrete
buildings, in a concrete yard surrounded by
high walls. One of the buildings has all the
classrooms, and the other has the dormitory
and the dining hall. The look of these buildings
are in contrast with the rest of Camili.
The impression I got from our meeting with Mr.
Aykut (Aykut Yılmaz), the school principal, is
that the school needs a basketball hoop, books,
a teachers’ house, and the interest and spiritual
and material support of the people and NGOs
of Camili. Children, on the other hand, need
more care...
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The principal and teachers of Camili Regional
Boarding Primary School have many problems.
They are trying to find solutions to these
problems and expecting more support from the
people of Camili and from various projects.
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When you walk around the school, you may
notice the sign of “Environment Club” on a
classroom door, and be happy thinking that
people’s concern with nature is being taught to
future generations as well. However, this is not
the whole story. There is an environment club
in the school, but they have very little contact
with the Association and with nature lovers.
It would be really nice if the Association and
people of Camili, who have a “natural” affinity
with the environment, came to school more
often, to talk to the kids about these issues, and
share their experiences and thoughts... If they
took the students to the nearby bird watching
station, talk about endemic species, about the
ecological, social and economic value of the
basin...
These kids, who say
“oranges” when you
ask them about their
future dreams, need to
learn why there are no
oranges in their village
but how they have so
many other treasures.
Before you leave, you can watch the kids
running around in the yard, playing with their
teachers. They are joyful, lively, energetic kids.
On Fridays, at 03.30 P.M., students leave to stay
the weekend at their homes.
They flock to the back of an open truck that will
take them home, with excitement. What else do
they dream about?
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A hard-working woman of Camili
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60
Filiz Gülbin (Queen Bee Production Expert in
Macahel Beekeeping Inc.) is a young, beautiful,
smart and friendly lady with a big smile. She
was born in Camili village in 1988. “I have seen
a lot, been through a lot since I was born”, are
her first words. “For example, I had to overcome
a lot of hardships in primary school. I went to
primary school and middle school here. I went
to high school in Borçka. I have two brothers. I
was supported by my family during my studies.
My brother graduated from college as well. I had a
lot of difficulties in primary school. Some students
had an even more difficult time than I had; many
had to walk three hours just to get to the school.
They came in the morning every day, and went
back in the evening. I felt that something needed
to be done. I matured early here. I was aware of
a lot of things. I was accepted to college. I had my
undergraduate degree in Business Administration
from Muğla University. Upon graduation, I
returned to Camili in 2004. I have been working
for Machakheli Beekeeping Inc. ever since. When
I was a student, I used to work for this company
during summers. I earned my own pocket money.”
When asked “Why return to Camili then, if you
had so many difficulties here?”, her answer is a
well considered one: “I like this village and village
life, and I adore nature. I like living in here. All
my peers want to leave this place. Even when we
were in the middle school, all my friends wanted
to leave the village. I, on the other hand, would
like to bring up my children here in the village. I
would like them to till the fields. We are Georgians,
I would like them to learn to speak Georgian, to
know about cabbage meal. At the same time, go
get an education, education is a must... I would
like to give them everything that I had as a child,
and more. My fiancé is from Camili too, but he
lives in Istanbul. I am trying to persuade him to
come live here”.
Filiz has been performing artificial insemination
in Camili for Machakheli Inc. since 2004, and
is a permanent employee of the company. “It
is like in-vitro fertilization for bees”, she says,
and explains what she does as follows: “We are
breeding bees here, trying to improve the bee
race, make them even better. Our bee is a pure
race, a species under threat of extinction. We are
mating queen bees and male bees using artificial
insemination, trying to make more queen bees.
Queen bees produced using artificial insemination
are then used for breeding purposes in beekeeping
enterprises. We give the queen bees we produce to
producers who have contracts with us.”
Filiz’s mother is a queen bee producer too. “My
mom was influential in my decision to take up
this line of work”, she says. “My dad is a seasonal
in Highlands
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Women are the Rulers
61
“No account of life in the highlands of
Machakheli would be complete without
mentioning the sacrifices and contribution to
the family budget made by women, who are the
rulers in the highlands. This is why I would like
to turn to their roles and contributions now. As
the leaders of their families, women shoulder all
sorts of burdens associated with highland life.
They make sure that people under their care
perform their tasks diligently and in discipline.
They divide the tasks among their subordinates,
and ensure the smooth performance of both
daily and vital tasks. They also shoulder their
share of the daily chores, and take all necessary
measures for the completion of activities that
contribute to the family budget. They did the
planning, and they implemented the plans,
sticking to the schedule. In short, they made sure
that the family worked like a clockwork for the
benefit of all. They grew plants in the highlands
to meet daily needs, or gathered them from
nature, and made all the dairy products that the
family will need in the winter. When there was a
market, they also sold things, including animals,
contributing cash to the family budget. In
short, women were the rulers in the highlands,
planning and managing all aspects of life so
that the family would have a solid footing in the
highland (Zengin, H.).
laborer, and my mom started producing queen
bees to support my dad and to contribute to the
family budget. We make our living by producing
queen bees. This was how mom and dad paid for
my brothers’ and my education. After my mom,
my aunt started doing this job. There are many
women here who produce bees, women here are
not afraid of the bees! I have another friend here
working with me. She was raised in Istanbul, but
moved here after marrying. She had never seen
bees before in her life, but now she likes her job”.
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This is how, Filiz explains, her mother spends a
day: “My mom wakes up in the morning, milks
the cow, tends to the bees, does the housework,
harvests hazelnuts during harvest time, and cuts
grass. There are lots of other things to be done
besides beekeeping”. Filiz’s mother is a primary
school graduate, and was married at the age of 22.
She wanted to continue her studies, but was not
able to do so. She was a successful student, but was
not allowed to study. “That was how things were
back then,” she says, a little sadly. And then adds:
“She was not able to go to school, but she sent us all
to college, and we wanted to pay her back”.
Living in Camili is an exercise in combining
the nature, the culture, the values, in short, life,
with technology. This is because technology is
everywhere here, never mind the foggy, imposing
mountains or misty trails. As Filiz succinctly
puts it: “We need technology too, it makes you
powerful. Here, you can both follow what is going
on in the world and breath comfortably.”
People are returning...
Filiz is optimistic about her future. She thinks
tourism and love of Camili will overcome the
problems: “There is progress compared to the
past. For example, there are tourists now, with
nature tourism, but the development of tourism
creates changes in people’s way of life. For
example, alcohol... People did not take alcohol
out in the open in the past, now they do. On the
other hand, hostel keeping is growing; people
are making money out of it. In the meantime,
however, we are not losing our culture. We are
protecting the nature. We have to love the nature,
it is our livelihood here. If we conserve nature,
it gives us our food. This is what love of nature
means... If we destroy nature, we perish along
with it. It looks as if it is out of convenience, but in
fact it is love. People are returning, for example,
many people came back. It is all because of love...”
Lobyo phalay (cabbage stew with kidney beans)
Filiz’s favorite dish, both for cooking and eating,
is black cabbage. “You can cook black cabbage
in many different ways,” she says, “with potatoes,
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with zucchini, with kidney beans”. Here is how
she cooks black cabbage with kidney beans:
“First, you boil kidney beans and black cabbage in
salt water, separately. Get the black cabbage out
of water, add boiled kidney beans, leek, pepper,
garlic, parsley, coriander (green), basil leaves, and
finally milk and butter, and cook some more”.
At least, fewer patients are dying now!
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In the beginning of our conversation, Filiz had
said that she has seen a lot, been through a lot.
When I asked her to tell me about a memory
she cannot forget, this was what she told:
“Until I graduated from middle school, we used
to stay here during the winters too (Now they go
to the county center to spend the winter). When
somebody got sick, about a hundred villagers
would take to the road, pulling the patient on
a sled, man-hauling, in snow that was one or
two meters deep, day or night... I remember, for
example, waiting for my dad until morning once,
when he went away to help pull a patient. I coul
never forget that. Back then, I wished we had a
road, I wished there had been no snow. Now we
can go to the county center when we need to. We
also have a road, but it is still closed in the winter.
When that happens, we go through Georgia, for
about five years now. At least, fewer patients are
dying now”.
A tourism approach that
preserves nature
Nermin Özdemir and Hamdi Özdemir are the
owners a two-storey wooden Camili house
that overlooks a magnificent view of the Karçal
Mountains, at the end of a narrow road winding
up to the Maral Village. They are operating the
house as a hostel. It is easy to say at the end of
a narrow road winding up, but not so easy to
actually climb the road.
If you ask, upon your arrival at the hostel,
whether this is where the road comes to an
end, you might be surprised at the answer. In
fact, there are so many things to watch as you
climb the trail like road through the mountains
in a car, you don’t even notice just how difficult
the road is to navigate. Until, that is to say, you
stand on the veranda of the house and have a
good look at the road you have just climbed.
That is the moment when you wonder how on
earth you managed to get here. But, is it worth
it? Absolutely. No doubt about it. Especially if
you have a full moon, and Mrs. Nermin already
made the tea...
Mrs. Nermin and Mr. Hamdi have four
daughters many grandchildren. In summer,
they have guests in their house in the Maral
village, that is to say, they keep a hostel.
Mr. Hamdi was born in 1946. He went to
primary school in his village. Every village had
a primary school back then. Their teachers
were graduates of Village Institutes. After
primary school, he went to Borçka to attend the
middle school. Then he became a teacher. He
started teaching in Camili in 1966-1967. They
used to live in this same house. He had eight
siblings. “There were 17 or 18 people living in
the house”, he says. Then he taught in Rize for
some time, and did his military service. During
his military service, he taught how to read
and write to privates. This practice, teaching
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illiterate soldiers how to read and write during
their mandatory military service, was called “Ali
school”. After completing his military service,
he came back to Camili, worked as a teacher
for 12 years, and brought up his kids. “With my
first ever salary, I paid for my siblings’ school
expenses.
I used to work in the forest during the summers,
to make some extra money, and I don’t regret it.
It is how I helped my brothers go to school” he
says.
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66
Mr. Hamdi has a bright face and civilized
manners, is tolerant, polite, friendly, and
sophisticated...
He is very nice to his wife, his guests, the school
principal, the teachers... When he talks about his
daughters, grandchildren, and the lands where
he was born, brought up or did military service,
he is always full of love and respect.
They built a middle school in Camili via an
association founded in 1974. The current school
building was finished in 2003, and the boarding
house was built in 2011.
After retirement, he started to spend seven and
a half months a year in Camili, and the rest in
Istanbul.
This place was always the same
“This place was always the same”, says Mr.
Hamdi, “The main road has been undergoing
improvement for the last 25 years, and it is still
not finished despite the fact that it is just 40
kilometers in total. Until 2-3 years ago, you could
only use the road between 07:00 A.M. and 07:00
P.M. Before that, when I was teaching, the road
would be closed for eight months a year. There was
no electricity. We had a population of about 3000
people, 14 schools, and 27-28 teachers. Because
the road remained closed for eight months,
teachers could not stock eight months of supplies.
They would run out of their stocks by April. It is
difficult to plan for this. The grocer would have
no food left either. We used to support each other
in the houses, there was harmony. We all needed
each other. The doctor, for example, was a general
practitioner”.
When somebody had to be taken to a hospital,
a hundred of us would gather, and go together.
Because, we would think, what if it happened
to me? It was a unity encouraged by nature...
There was this very old guy in the Machakheli
documentary, he says, “I go after 8-10 patients
every year. Isn’t it easy to live, when it is always
others who die?” “This is how it is...”
When he compares today with the time he used
to teach, this is what Mr. Hamdi has to say: “We
have only one school today, back then we had 14.
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68
Every neighborhood had built their own school
out of wood. Right now, there are only 1200
people living here, the population has declined.
I had 60 students back then. Now, the total
number of students, from all six villages, in all
grades including the eighth, does not exceed 100.
When we had our first middle school graduates,
we wanted to send them to take the exams. The
road was closed, the exam was in Trabzon. Who
was going to take them? There was this family;
their kid was very bright, very successful. They
said “We will send them to take the exams, if you
personally take them to the city”. I took them all.
Every year, we took kids to Borçka, to Artvin,
to Trabzon, so that they could take their exams.
The cow has a sitter!
Mr. Hamdi is so kind and thoughtful that he
tries to emphatize with the teachers in Camili,
saying that it is the difficult conditions they face
that makes them unwilling to take initiative:
“You have to make the teachers feel at home. This
is a region where you lack many amenities; you
have to be understanding towards them. I used to
accommodate teachers at my home. I had them
teach extra courses on the weekends, so that the
kids would learn a little more. If you don’t provide
for the teachers here, they will be unhappy. You
have to get them wood for fuel, a place to sleep,
so that they can enjoy their work. If you do that,
teachers will work, and kids will get a proper
education. Teachers will be unhappy if their heater
does not work on the weekends, or they don’t have
meals served”.
What Mrs. Nermin’s serves for dinner is simply
delicious. Sweet smelling bread fresh out of the
oven, and a succession of dishes: soup, chicken,
rice, beans, potatoes, and yogurt.
The two-storey house is surrounded by the
forest, because in Maral (as in the rest of Camili),
houses are built far apart from each other. It is
not like in the big cities, where the only thing
separating you from the next-door neighbor is a
thin wall. This is why when you hear something
loud outside the house, it is a big deal: We see
two youngsters coming down the trail. They lost
their cow, and are searching for them. “Have you
seen them?”, they ask, but we have not.
“There is the Georgian border to the east”, says Mr.
Hamdi, looking at the direction they go. “Foreign
nationals were not allowed here in the past. They
had to get permission from the garrison. Locals
had to take permission too. 600 meters as the crow
flies from the border was a forbidden military
zone. Now it is not 600 meters, but 100 meters.
There used to be a soldier standing sentry in the
entrance to Camili (600 m from the border). He
checked everyone entering Camili. You had to
have a permit or an officer’s ID to enter Camili.”
Mills and Traditional Rules
Because of topography, houses in Machakheli
villages are not concentrated. To the contrary,
they consist of scattered hamlets consisting of a
few houses each. This is why mills were built in
places where they could serve a single hamlet or
a couple of close ones. Another factor that affects
the location of a mill is the availability of water to
turn the wheel.
There are a number of differences between older
mills and those that are built in recent years. The
most important difference is that the older ones
were dependent on rivers and streams. Some the
newer ones, on the other hand, have electricity
removing the dependency on water. Mills using
water power are still in the majority, and they
used to have wooden channels made of pine
trees. Now these channels are replaced by metal
or PVC pipe systems. Another difference is seen
in their roof covering.
If there is a flowing body of water near the
settlement, mills are built in an appropriate place
on the shores of the stream. Otherwise, water
needs to be transferred, using open channels or
more recently metal or PVC pipes, to the site of the
mill, close to the settlement. Mills are collectively
owned, looked after and used by the families
or persons concerned. As a result, a number of
traditional rules were established governing their
use. These rules are observed by every partner
making use of the mill. These partnerships have
social benefits that go beyond the smooth
operation of the mill. Mill partnerships facilitate
the development of a relationship between
partners that is based on mutual respect, love
and tolerance. In addition, because the partners
stay in touch, almost familial feelings of personal
responsibility towards one another, cooperation,
solidarity and trust develop between them. They
can also lead the way towards the establishment
of new commercial partnerships. Sometimes,
however, when people fail to observe the
delicate rules governing mill partnerships, social
problems may emerge:
I was invited to a village called ‘Beş ağıl’ (‘Five
pens’, originally ‘Beşavrl’), of the provincial center
of Artvin, where they were born and raised. It
was a very nice settlement, consisting of houses
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of Operation
69
In the middle of our chat, they realize that
Mr. Hamdi’s heifer followed the two people
searching for their cows. This time, Mr. Hamdi
goes searching for his heifer, and brings her back
shortly.
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70
I then become curious and ask what happens
to the cow when they leave in the winter. Who
looks after the cow? “Our cow has a sitter, we
have joined high society now,” says Mr. Hamdi
and starts laughing. “There is a family on the
other side of the village. I leave the cow with them;
they are the ones who look after it when we are
gone.”
An evening chat
It looks like evening chats following dinner are a
cherished tradition here. This evening’s guest is
Mr. Mehmet, who lives down the road and keeps
bees.
The talk is accompanied by newly harvested
hazelnuts, fruits, and a kettle of tea boiling on
the heating stove. There is a large wooden plate
to crack the hazelnuts, and a largish rock. They
place the hazelnut inside the plate, and hammer
it with the rock.
One of Mr. Hamdi’s daughters is keeping the
hostel together with her parents. She received
financial support and training from the GEF
project on hostel keeping. “Thanks to the project;
we were able to fix the problems with the hostel,”
says Mr. Hamdi, “problems never end, you now,
but still…”
Upon the mention of the hostel, the talk turns
to new buildings in Camili. “No one build
wooden houses anymore. Everyone prefers
reinforced concrete houses; and this damages
the traditional texture. Even the new mosque is
made of concrete. So are hostels, as if they were
hotels... There is no standard applied to buildings
here. The management plan of the GEF project
has standards, but they are not applied,” says
Mr. Hamdi. “Tourism here requires a different
perspective. A perspective that would develop
tourism without corrupting nature.”
Save the bees from the evil eye
Mr. Mehmet keeps bees in Maral village, and
is a member of the Beekeeping Committee.
He is 35 years old, and has a degree in public
administration. “It was our elders, who came up
with the idea of beekeeping”, he says. He started
beekeeping in 2005, with the GEF Project. “I
started out with one beehive, it was eight hives
later, then 24, and within a year I had 100 hives.
I attended courses offered by the European Union
and by TEMA, I took risks, I got training that was
how I got to 100. Now I have 200 hives”.
“Members of the Beekeeping Committee are
concerned about the health of the bees, this is why
we had to come together,” he adds, and explains
the work of the Committee as follows:
“According to the inventory we took there are
between 60-100 beekeepers here. We are trying to
keep imports and exports of bees under control.
People have developed awareness now. When
people visit each other in their houses, especially
in the winter, they talk about beekeeping. There
is more and more awareness. We talk about how
to market our products too, but we did not make
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71
huddled together on slightly sloping land, next
them, everyone acts on their own, and many of
to a roaring creek. Upon their suggestion, I took
you are jealous,” I added. There was a murmur
a hike on a route covering the region to Maden
all around me, and everyone turned their eyes
(originally Kvarshan) village, which was the first
on the village headman, silently imploring him
place in Artvin where copper was mined. When
to ask why. Feeling the tension, he asked how
I went back to the village in the evening, they
I reached these conclusions. My response was
surrounded me, and asked questions about my
ready: “Houses in your village are concentrated
impressions. I said I was happy about all those
in one place. They are not scattered, and there
new places I have seen and new things I learnt.
are not that many houses either. You can easily
Then, I said “It was all very well and nice, but
make do with just two mills. Yet, I have counted
one thing made me really sad”. Everyone was
11 separate mills as I crossed the creek on
listening intently. “You have no solidarity in your
my way back. The presence of so many mill is
village, your neighborhood ties are weak, you
enough to prove that my conclusions are right”.
choose not to talk about your problems to solve
They admitted I was right, and said “We deserved
much progress there. The Committee has 40
members, the other beekeepers remain outside the
system. They only produce for themselves and for
family and friends, so they don’t really need the
system. They don’t join because they don’t need the
system, not because they are against the system.”
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72
We also have discussions on how to create a brand.
We planned to buy jars, and put labels on them.
The GEF project was really helpful. We monitor
the products of the producers, monitor the yields.
During harvest time, we check their declared
production, if they said they harvested 100 kg, for
example, so that no one is mixing it with honey
from other places. This is how we monitor each
other and keep honey production in Machakheli
under control. We are trying to sell our honey by
taking it to the markets. But it is not enough”.
Last year, the Beekeeping Committee had a
honey stand in the festival. Only the Committee
was allowed to sell honey to prevent people
from selling honey produced in other places.
“Otherwise, the customers’ trust would be lost”,
says Mr. Mehmet. They took a lot of orders during
the festival. “It was a one-time thing, but it was a
success for us,” say Mr. Mehmet. “We are working
to make it continuous, using our own means. We
want to develop beekeeping (honey production)
in Camili, we want to contribute to economy.
What I mean by developing by beekeeping is to
increase the number of people making their living
out of beekeeping, and to protect and increase the
number of bees. Ours is just a drop in the ocean,
compared to the whole country, but still...”
Everyone we talked to in Camili keeps saying
honey production or beekeeping is difficult. So
what is the secret behind Mr. Mehmet’s reaching
hundreds of colonies in such a short time?
His answer to this question contains lessons
Traditional rules governing the collective use of
mills can be summarized as follows:
• Maintenance and repair expenses are
divided between all partners.
• Except in case of emergencies, partners take
turns using the mill.
• Every partner is responsible for repairing the
damage that they have caused.
• Everyone takes care of small damages that
arise during their use, and informs next in
line regarding when they will vacate the
premises.
• When someone wants to sell his or her
share, existing partners have the right of first
refusal.
A 132 year-old mill
Yusuf Ağa, the father of my grandfather, left
the village in the mid-1860s to do his military
service, and was not heard from him for 17
years. In 1877, when people had long lost hope
of ever hearing from him, he re-appears. They
later learn that the 17 year absence is due to
his assignment to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and he
went there and came back on foot.
Yusuf Ağa, who had learnt about water
mills during his military service, gathers his
neighbors, and proposes to build a mill by
building a channel from the stream that was
1.5 km away from the village. His neighbors
not only refuse the offer, they also start talking
about him behind his back, saying “He came
back from the dead, now he is going to deceive
us into building this channel, then water all the
streams down the channel”. Upset about the
rumors, Yusuf Ağa hires mill builders by himself,
and has them build the mill in Coyet hamlet,
which is still in operation. Embarrased by their
behavior, his neighbors apologize to him, and
say they want to share all the expenses and
become partners in the mill. Yusuf Ağa makes
all his neighbors partners, without accepting
any of their money. Thus, the oldest mill in
Machakheli, built 132 years ago and still in
operation, becomes a milestone in the building
of strong neighborhood ties that used to be the
envy of everyone (Zengin, H.).
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these words, but please don’t say them anywhere
else, let this one stay as our little secret”, bursting
into laughter.
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74
for all of us: “Some years we get unlucky, bees
die. Sometimes they die out of natural causes,
such as bee diseases, etc. People who lose what
they have get discouraged and give up. From
a technical perspective, there are no mysteries,
really. Information exchange takes place when
trained beekeepers come together and share their
experiences. Old generations were more jealous of
their knowledge. Some people say, “don’t talk about
it too much, lest your bees get the evil eye”. But
most of us are happy to share our knowledge and
experiences. All members share their knowledge,
no one is hiding information”.
The latest idea the Beekeeping Committee came
up with is to found a Union of Beekeepers
in Camili. They are planning to fight with the
use of the name pure Caucasian bee (“our bee”
in their words) by beekeepers in other regions.
“Since pure Caucasian bee is found only here, we
should be the ones to establish a Camili Union of
Beekeepers”, they say. The county governor also
promised support.
“There is no such committee for tourism,
unfortunately. Hostel keepers were not able to
join forces. There is more competition between
them to have the guests. There is a disconnection,
a lack of communication with travel agents and
guides. Our guests are either brought here either
by tourism companies who book in advance, or
they come on their own. One of the problems with
tourism companies is that they bring their own
drivers and guides. When they do that, this means
local drivers, who know the region and the roads,
and local guides, who received special training, are
unable to find jobs. A Tourism Committee should
be working to solve these problems, but there is
no such initiative. Maybe hostel keepers should
join forces... Just as the Beekeeping Committee
is trying to protect the quality of pure Caucasian
bee honey, the Tourism Committee should protect
tourism...”
Keeping a hostel in wild nature is difficult
business indeed!
“Hostel keeping is not as easy as it looks”, interjects
Mr. Hamdi. “There are lots of people who think
there is good money in this business and are eager
to start their own hostels, but there are also lots
of surprises and challenges: For example, you
have a guest, they go to their room, and then start
complaining that there is a spider here, there is a
bug there. No problem, we can remove the spider
now, but there could be more the next morning.
This is how it is around here, we have bugs. You
cannot make everyone happy.”
The chat in Mr. Hamdi and Mrs. Nermin’s
hostel continues in the moonlight, in the midst
of forest. One of the guests who just joined
the conversation says things are good for the
Beekeeping Committee, but not so good for the
Eco-tourism Committee.
Mr. Hamdi starts comparing beekeeping with
hostel keeping: “Surprises that you can face in
beekeeping can also be seen in hostel keeping. A
beekeeper can have, say, 100 beehives, and it looks
like a lot honey, and a lot of money, 100 TRY a
kilogram... But then, all hundred of your hives
In the mean time, Mrs. Nermin’s treats keep
flowing: Georgian grapes (the main ingredient
of the “papa” we were served in Mr. İsmail’s
house), tea, and of course, cornbread-yogurthoney...
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may fail. Same thing is true for hostel keeping. You
cannot just calculate on the basis of the number
of beds, it may not reflect the reality. You have
to serve food to everyone. There are people who
never had natural milk in their lives. They might
say, I want packaged milk, I won’t drink that. In
such cases, hostel keepers have to come up with
their own solutions. In addition, it becomes more
and more difficult to provide proper service when
you have a lot of guests. You have to manage
these situations very carefully. If you want repeat
customers, you have to provide top-notch service.
For example, when the road is closed, or when the
river overflows, people may get worried (we have
those all the time). You have to calm them down,
and overcome these challenges”.
Take them to their moms!
Mr. Hamdi keeps talking about his memories
with hostel customers: There was a young lady
who was stung by a bee. Within two minutes,
her whole body was red and swelling. She was
allergic to bees. They called an ambulance, and
had the young lady take a cold shower until
the ambulance arrived. The ambulance came
in 10-15 minutes, and they took the patient to
the village clinic. The doctor at the clinic was
about to leave for Borçka, the county center,
they barely made it, then took her to Artvin, the
provincial center, where she was treated and got
her health back.
Another guest was afraid of bats, stayed awake
the whole night and didn’t allow anyone else to
sleep either.
There were two sisters who came to the hostel
with their husbands. The ladies were not able to
sit anywhere, they were afraid of chicks. “One of
us just couldn’t take it anymore,” says Mr. Hamdi,
“and told the husbands to take the ladies back to
their moms”.
Another day, another couple managed to drive,
on a rainy day, from Camili up to the door of the
hostel (it is a very steep road with turns so sharp
that you have to maneuver to take them in some
places), but then got cold feet. They came to the
door of the hostel, then, without even entering
the building, turned back, saying “We cannot
stay here, we couldn’t make it down tomorrow”.
The smell of hot bread
Next morning, you wake up in the middle of a
sea of forest. When you look outside the window
next to your bed, all you see is trees and the
forest. You are surrounded by lush green forest
on all sides.
Mr. Hamdi and Mrs. Nermin are already up and
at work. Cows are milked, eggs are collected, and
the bread is inside the oven, baking. Mr. Hamdi
airs the hazelnuts he laid on the back veranda
and the front yard before breakfast, and Mrs.
Nermin lets the cows out into the trail leading
down, so that they can feed themselves too. You
can reach the so-called “down” through a steep
trail. There is a hazelnut grove visible deep down,
and a hand-made cable car. Somebody down
there puts the basket of harvested hazelnuts into
the cable car, and here at the top another person
takes the basket, unloads and sends it back.
You could not think of a better way to harvest
the hazelnuts in such steep land and over such
distances. In the meantime, those big cows
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have already made their way down to the valley,
through the tiny steep trail.
The breakfast is guaranteed to be the best
one you have ever had: Fragrant honey, fresh
boiled milk, cheese and cream still smelling of
milk, Mrs. Nermin’s home-made jams, sugarfree molasses, butter melting on steaming hot
bread... You could never get enough of them.
You don’t need money here!
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If you hike from Camili village to Efeler village,
and take a short break on the way, you might
find that the sound of the flowing river makes
holding a conversation difficult. On this road,
you can knock on the door of a house, and be
treated a God-sent guest. It is a large, very large
house, but the garden surrounding the house is
even larger, five or 10 times as large as the house.
It is autumn, the weather is nice, and there is a
lot to be done in the garden. Everyone is in the
garden, everyone is busy at work.
An elderly lady has laid out hazelnuts before her,
picking some and putting them away, then some
more. You wonder what she is doing. “Cleaning
the hazelnuts”, she says. She is separating the bad
ones. “Are you going to throw them away?” you
ask, “Why would I? I will use them as fuel” she
responds.
She has two daughters. “They don’t stay in
Camili”, she says. She visits them from time to
time. “There is a lot to do here”, she says. “Look,
hazelnuts to be separated, fruits to be picked, there
is the beans, and there are the pickles, animals to
look after”. She sorts the hazelnuts patiently, in
silence. “You are living alone, how do you make
a living?” you ask, “I don’t need any money here,”
she responds. “I have food, I have fuel.” She still
takes stuff to the market sometimes, and earns
some money.
Zero waste!
You reach Efeler Stream, the sound of which
is clearly audible from Efeler Village, via the
parallel road. If you look out from the veranda
of the house where you are staying, you can see
wooden houses at the end of the narrow road
that appears at first sight to be endless. You
might think that it is impossible to go up there,
that those houses must have been built at an
earlier time, when the hills were not as steep, but
you would be wrong. There is a hostel up there.
And that narrow, winding road does actually
lead to the house on that distant-looking hilltop.
Now you are in another sea of forest in Karçal
Mountains, this time even closer to the clouds.
You stay in dizzying a hostel-house surrounded
by a veranda on all sides. You realize that hostel
keeping at this place is more professional. Guests
can choose to participate in highland tours,
concerts, folklore dances or mountain climbing.
Whenever you visit a house in Camili Basin, you
meet with warm entreaties to stay for dinner,
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which is difficult to refuse. Dinner consists of
whatever God has given to the hosts: steaming
hot and delicious smelling corn soup, a large tray
of potatoes roasted in a heating oven, chicken,
stuffed peppers and pickles. Followed by bright
red tea.
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It happens again: You have a paper tissue in
your hand, looking for same place to put it away,
and Mr. Fehmi, the owner of hostel/house, says
“Just toss it away”. “Garbage bin?” you ask. “We
don’t have any garbage here, so we don’t have a
garbage bin,” he responds. “Leftovers are eaten
by chickens and cows, we don’t use paper cartons
or cardboard boxes because there is nothing prepackaged here. We have glass jars, and they are
re-used. We have no plastic. Other than that, if we
occasionally have an unusual piece of trash, well,
we just toss it away, and it disappears.”
Then you think about us cityfolk, who need
special training to learn about what re-cycling
is, which materials can be re-cycled, how to
dispose of waste, which color bin was for which
items, where to take the waste accumulated at
home...
Honey or hazelnuts?
Besim Yavuz is a Village Institute graduate, and
used to be the township manager of Camili. He is
from Kayalar village. He lived in Camili until the
age of 12, then left the village to attend middle
school and high school in Kars. Then he came
back to Camili, and served as the Township
Manager until 1964. “There is progress compared
to the past”, says Mr. Besim. “We have roads now,
economy has also developed. But there is still no
road leading to my house” he adds.
Mr. Besim talks about how he conducted trials
for tea cultivation when he was the Township
Manager. Nothing came out of the trials. “People
had it rough back then. It was hazelnuts that
really helped this place”, he says, talking about the
1950s and the 60s. “Now every family in Camili
has enough hazelnuts to live on. Hazelnut prices
are good too; this is why economic development
came with the hazelnuts. We had livestock too,
but the yields were not very good. With one or two
cows today, you can have as much milk as people
who kept five or six dairy cows had back then”.
According to Mr. Besim, money changed the
people of the region. “Customs and manners
have changed too, it is not good,” he says. But, he
adds, the elders are still influential, and “Their
manners are good”.
When Mr. Besim compares today with the time
when he was the Township Manager this is what
he has to say:
“Back then, every village had a school. I had them
built. We had many students at that time, now
we don’t. And we no longer have schools at each
village.”
“Now there is beekeeping, but not everyone
can keep bees and produce honey. It is still the
We Ate
Life in Machakheli used to be an isolated one,
with a closed economy. Under these conditions,
the only refuge local people had was the warm
and generous lap of mother nature.
One thing to note about Machakheli is that
their staple food has always been ‘cornbread’.
This situation obviously arises from the fact that
the most important agricultural activity in the
region is growing corn.
The following anonymous story underlines just
how important growing corn is for Machakhel:
with corn and including other agricultural
products that adapt well to the climate and the
soil of the region and that can be grown using
local agricultural methods. This is because, apart
from a window of a few months, it is impossible to
procure those products. People are completely
dependent on their own stocks. Assuming that
buying and transporting those goods from the
outside is physically possible; very few families
can afford to do so.
This meant that each family had, first of all, to
secure fields that were able to grow enough
The old Machakhelian complains to his foreign
guests as follows: “Ço! (a Goergian word of
address that means sir or pal) Buldurin (last year)
there was such a severe drought that we kiğam
(almost) had to eat wheat bread”.
corn and other staples to last them until the next
Every family residing in Machakheli has to
produce and store their own staple food, starting
If they were not able to do that, they could,
harvest season. There was great variation in land
ownership. Some had less than enough, others
had a sufficient amount, and some had more
than enough. Those with little land exchanged
their lands with their neighbors’ cultivable land.
alternatively, clear some forest land, turning it
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Wheat Bread!
81
hazelnuts on which most people depend. If you
have a hoe, you can plant a hazelnut tree and
make some money. It is not the same with the
bees”.
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“What if you were the township manager now?
What would you do?” we ask. This is how
he responds: “I was the one who started the
hazelnuts. I would do the same, support what we
already have. I would also encourage cattle, but
would have few of them not many, so that there
is better care. I would mostly keep it as it is; we
don’t have that much land. Everyone keeps talking
about handicrafts, but it is not a good idea.
It would destroy the forest. I might encourage
orchards, or try to improve them. Some of the
fruits grown here are rotten on the inside”.
To consume or not to consume...
Camili Headman İlker Sav joins our conversation
with Mr. Besim. He too has a few things to say
about the livelihood of people and about the
future of the village:
“Honey production is made by only a few families
here. We do not have as much honey as people
sometimes think. Hostel keeping, on the other
hand, is a seasonal business. There are about 10
hostels in the village. About 5,000 people visit the
basin in a year, and they stay, at most, two nights.
From 70-80 TRY a guest a night, you get a total of
(80 TRY/night x 2 nights x 5000 people)= 800,000
TRY a year. It is not that big of a revenue”.
“To make money out of tourism, there are things
we need to do as well. For example on the way to
the highland, there is no place where tourists can
sit and have something to eat. What I am trying
to say is that we need to make some effort too. A
lot of things are missing here. We invite people,
and then we have no chairs to offer, no bread, no
plates. Individual residents cannot do these things
on their own, they cannot afford to. If we could get
some loans that might be a solution.”
Mr. İlker then adds, “The local government
cannot even afford to buy a grader. We keep
talking about tourism, but if you came here in
your own car, your car would be ruined on these
roads. This situation cripples tourism. There
is a lack of investment, training and services in
tourism”.
There is one thing that is working well in Camili,
according to Mr. İlker: Honey production. “The
only thing that is going well is the work of the
Beekeeping Committee led by Mr. Kemal. This
honey can be produced by 300-500 people, in
small amounts. There is little production, yes, but
the trust in honey is strong”.
There is another issue İlker Sav, the village
headman, cares about: Consumption. His words
contain many lessons:
“People don’t keep chickens anymore. They
don’t grow beans, corn, zucchini or cucumbers.
However, you can grow them here in the most
natural way, but everyone has become consumers
now. Each of the 40-45 households receives some
pension. 500-600 TYR is not to be sneezed at
around here; it is more valuable than 5000 TRY in
other places. People don’t work, they just wander
around. I keep telling people, for example, to buy
50 chickens and get 50 eggs a day, but no one
listens. They buy their eggs from the grocer. People
don’t do it anymore. This despite the fact that
everyone has at least five chickens in their houses.
They keep saying that there are bears and boars,
attacking the animals, damaging the plants, but
Time for planting seeds differs by climate. Seeds
are planted in the spring, usually from mid-April
to mid-June.
Once harvested, the corn has to go through
several stages before it is ready for consumption:
First, corn ears are brought home, and stems left
on the field (Çala) are cleared. Once the stems
are cleared, shucks, called ‘Kunçala’ are separated
from the ears. Close neighbors do these tasks
together, taking turns to help one another. If
there is no rain, they will take the opportunity
to clear the stems during the day, and at night,
work together on shucking the corns as soon as
possible to keep them from going bad.
Corn shucking festivities
Corn shucking is no ordinary chore. In
Machakhel, even simple chores can be occasions
for memorable activities and festivities. Corn
shucking is one of them.
Corn shucking is done in large groups, and
people from other hamlets are also invited. When
there is a lot to be done, or the residents wish to
do so, they invite people from other hamlets as
well, so that the work is finished early.
Folk songs are sung, jokes are told, and riddles
are asked during shucking. The elders talk about
festivities they had when they were young, and
people share exaggerated hunting stories or
military service stories. You don’t even notice
the time ticking away.
Women, on the other hand, are usually busy
in the kitchen. Meals are had together, and
there are refreshments served throughout the
work. Unripe ‘milky’ corns are separated to be
grilled or boiled right away. Various potato and
zucchini dishes are also prepared. During the
breaks, all the refreshments, including fresh
fruits, are served and eaten together.
In this commotion, we children also had a lot
of fun. Removed shucks, now forming small
hills, served as natural playgrounds. We rolled
around and wrestled in them, climbed high and
dived into them. We also played hide and seek,
buried ourselves in piles of shucks, and tried to
scare passers by. This was how corn shucking
was turned into an occasion for rich festivities
(Zengin, H.).
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into a field. If that option was not available either,
they worked on the fields of those, who had
more than enough land, using sharecropping. If
none of the above worked, they had to make do
with the little land they had, and try to improve
the yield.
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84
there were bears in the past too. It’s not like they
have become violent all of a sudden, they did
damage in the past too. In short, people here have
become consumers, just like people in the cities.
Most do not care about how valuable this place
is. It comes at a cost. Whatever we do, we should
consider its implications on the value of this place.
I have a wife and a son, Mr. Besim knows about
them. They move to the highland settlement in
the summers. Moving to highland in the summers
is a tradition here. However, currently there are
only 12 people in the village who do that. This
means this tradition is about to die. Once lost, it
would be very difficult to resurrect. Most young
people leave the village. They don’t know about
horses, about the highland, about plows. It’s not
like everyone has to do the same thing. We can all
adapt to our conditions in different ways. If you
are not keeping a hostel, then you can sell eggs,
sell apples, sell beans, sell buttermilk (ayran)... It’s
in everyone’s interest if we can attract one more
tourist here, but everyone needs to join the effort.”
The grocer
There is a grocery in Camili, right across the
school. When you enter the shop, you see
something you would not expect: the grocer is a
young lady. A beautiful, cheerful, nice lady. Mrs.
Hatice (Hatice Akınay) runs the grocery together
with her husband. They are newlyweds and her
husband also works as a tour guide. When we
ask which items are sold the most, she says, “It is
mostly kids buying chocolate and candies. Also
women buying housework stuff.” If you are not
a brand-conscious customer, you can find most
everything you need in this grocery. It might
also remind you of groceries of your childhood.
You know, one of those where biscuits come in
large colorful boxes and sold piecemeal... We
should also mention that Mrs. Hatice sells the
delicious honeys of Camili as well.
Life in Machakheli is relaxed, natural, peaceful,
and modest as a result of adapting to nature, and
its residents are hardworking people full of life.
To cityfolk living their lives mostly dependent
on the many cables and wires surrounding
them, life in Machakheli would only be feasible
as a temporary getaway. This is because city life
makes it almost impossible to be content with
what the nature offers. We don’t have much
time. We don’t have much nature either. The
short amount of time we spend at home, we
spend it watching other people’s lives. The hustle
and bustle of daily life makes us forget even our
loved ones. We fill our lives with what the many
cables and wires offer, and we don’t even have the
time to think about what we consume. To many
people, living in Camili would feel like living in
a TV film. To the residents of Camili, however,
the lives they watch on televison are the show,
and theirs is the real life. In Camili, you never
hear people talking about TV series or action
heroes. It is doubtful whether they are aware of
it, but they are heroes in their own right.
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Cornbread,
Yogurt and Honey...
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86
“C
ornbread, yogurt and honey”;
three words that symbolize living
in a way that respects what nature
has to offer. Although many definitions have
been made, sustainable development is best
defined in the case of Camili by these three words.
However, should we limit this understanding
between people and nature, this appreciation
of life and what nature offers, should we limit
those to special areas like biosphere reserves? In
man-made environments, in cities for example,
where people do not have the same amount of
shared values and shared history as residents of
a biosphere reserve, how do we establish ways
of living that support sustainable development?
How do people start to appreciate, care for
and protect what nature offers? How can they
preserve their culture, traditions, past and
future? Isn’t there a way to keep living in cities
and still take some lessons from life in Camili?
Isn’t it possible to remember that we too are
part of nature, without giving up our quality of
life, technology and development?
It must be a source of pleasure and happiness
to everyone to feed swans in a park full of
trees when we leave our office blocks, to have
cucumbers grown in the orchards of the small
town next to our big city, or to use solar water
heaters...
It shouldn’t be so difficult, after a weeklong trip
to Camili, to question some of our life habits,
and to take nature, of which we are all a part, to
every living space we shape...
It shouldn’t be so difficult to understand why
Camili’s people value its nature, honey, corn,
grape, and even roads that remain closed five
months a year...
To share more with the people around us, even
if we don’t shuck corns with them in an autumn
evening, because we share a common future
with them...
To have fewer mall visits on the weekends, and
instead take more strolls in a park, or even go
birdwatching...
To try to appreciate the value of the water
coming out of our taps, and to imagine that it
might be the same water drunk by dinosaurs
once upon a time...
A Success Story in
Centuries of human-nature interaction in the
Camili Basin has created a unique cultural
landscape and collection of local traditions.
Studies conducted show that economic
development in the region should be achieved
without damaging Camili’s unique qualities. To
strike the right balance between development
and conservation, it is important to sustain and
preserve the quality of the natural treasures of
the Camili region, which allow the development
of a sustainable livelihood model that is under
the control of the local community.
on to future generations (Draft Management
Because they lived an isolated life for many years,
people in the region were able to preserve their
traditions in their daily lives, in the architecture
and construction of village houses and ancillary
buildings, and in the tools and equipment they
used. Traditional folk dances and folk music are
still very much alive in the region, and residents
have established a Polyphonic Choir of Elders to
preserve their traditional songs and pass them
Designation of Camili as a biosphere reserve
Plan of Camili Biosphere Reserve).
Until very recently, because of the environmental
and natural conditions in the basin, people’s
livelihoods
depended
on
agricultural
production and keeping livestock. With the
realization of the advantages provided by this
unique and natural ecosystem, sustainable
tourism and honey and bee production have
also become important sources of livelihood
from the 2000s onwards.
contributed both to the preservation of the
biological and cultural values of the basin at
the national and international levels, and to
the sustainable development of the region.
Ensuring the continuity of the rational use
of natural resources is very important for the
protection of Camili’s nature and landscapes,
and for sustainable development of the region.
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Sustainable Development
87
To try to spend a “zero-waste” day, by not
generating any packaging waste and not using
aluminum cans, and to dream about a life
without garbage bins...
To make an effort to put a distance between
ourselves and the cables and wires around us...
To think of a dark night, or at least one not
flooded by a thousand lights, as a blessing
because it makes seeing stars possible...
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88
In short, isn’t it in our hands, even as we live
in man-made environments, to feel that we are
part of nature, and to recognize and appreciate
its offerings?
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD),
as defined by UNESCO, calls for equipping all
people with the necessary knowledge, skills,
attitudes and values for a sustainable future.
Education for Sustainable Development covers
all issues related to sustainable development,
such as climate change, biological diversity,
poverty reduction and sustainable consumption.
Education for Sustainable Development
requires changing our attitudes and behaviors
to transform our use of natural resources for a
sustainable future, and developing our skills to
generate long-term plans, to think systematically,
and to make and implement common decisions
for a sustainable future. It also requires the
development of necessary education and
training programs. In this context, UNESCO
declared 2005-2014 as the Decade of Education
for Sustainable Development. At the end of this
decade, the Man and the Biosphere Monitoring
Group of the Turkish National Commission for
UNESCO presents Camili, the first biosphere
reserve of Turkey, and snapshots of life in Camili
in the hope that it will contribute to Education
for Sustainable Development.
We wish a happy and sustainable future to all...
sustainable and natural production of hazelnuts
and other local products, and the efforts made
for their sustainable production indicate that
the local community is aware of the economic
and environmental benefits of these activities.
Camili performs the functions of conservation,
development, research, and monitoring, which
are the most important functions of biosphere
reserves, by protecting these rare and unique
ecosystems, species and habitats, by supporting
the nature-friendly economic activities of the
local community, and by facilitating research
and monitoring activities in the field by
scholars, civil society organizations and other
stakeholders. In regions where the development
function is present and where sustainable use
of natural resources is encouraged, ecosystem
management approach is adopted. As a result,
a model area that can serve as an example for
other sustainable regional development efforts
was created (Ertürk, E.).
UNESCO
With its nature and traditional culture, Camili
Basin is now a major national and global
destination. There are concerns that as the
region becomes better known, it will be difficult
to prevent unplanned development. However,
the local community seems to be intent on
preventing such activities. Residents of the
basin are aware of the immense value of their
unique ecosystem and natural and cultural
treasures. There are local efforts to develop a
common understanding that tourism facilities
in the region should be constructed in a way
that is in harmony with nature and with local
architectural and cultural elements. The same
common understanding was also instrumental
in the creation of a control and monitoring
mechanism for the protection and sustainable
production of Cuacasian bees and honey.
Smuggling of the Caucasian bees and honey
out of the region and introduction of foreign
bees to the region are successfully prevented
by intense and effective monitoring by the
residents and producers. The concern for the
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References
Akbaş, F. 2011. Maçahel - Artvin Karçal
Mountain Mountain Villages (in Turkish). Say
Dağıtım Ltd. Şti. İstanbul.
Beşli, E. A. 2013. From Macahel to Gorgit
Pastureland (in Turkish). DoğaKaradeniz
Dergisi, 21: 22-26.
Camili Biosphere Reserve Draft Management
Plan, 2007. Ministry of Environment and
Forestry..
Zengin, H. Hidden
Unpublished book.
Heaven:
Macahel.
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Dabaoğlu, M. 2004. Radikal Gazetesi, 02.04.2004.
http://forum.gidagundemi.com/pudinguretimi-t325.html
Ertürk, E. 2012. A Success Story in Sustainable
Development: Camili Biosphere Reserve.
United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development, (Rio+20), Rio De Janeiro, Brasilia.
http://www.haber7.com/neler-oluyor-hayatta/haber/1004944-ilk-kez-bu-yil-ulasimakapanmadi
Kalem, S. Lower Caucasus Green Treasure:
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http://www.macahel.org.tr
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http://forum.gidagundemi.com/pudinguretimi-t325.html
Gaye TEKSÖZ
Environmental Engineer (Ph.D.) Gaye Teksöz
has been working on Education for Sustainable
Development and Climate Change Education for
many years. She is a faculty member at the Faculty
of Education of METU, and was a member of the
Man and the Biosphere National Committee* of
the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO.
Erdoğan ERTÜRK
Forest Engineer (M.Sc.) Erdoğan Ertürk has
been working on nature conservation and the
planning and management of nature reserves
for more than 20 years. He works in the General
Directorate of Nature Conservation and National
Parks of the Ministry of Forestry and Water
Affairs, and is a member of the Man and the
Biosphere National Committee of the Turkish
National Commission for UNESCO
Yıldıray LİSE
Biologist (M.Sc.) Yıldıray Lise has been working
on nature conservation, protected area planning,
nature education and ecotourism for nearly 20
years. He is the Deputyy Director General of
Nature Conservation Centre Foundation, and a
member of the Man and the Biosphere National
Committee of the Turkish National Commission
for UNESCO.
* Man and the Biosphere (MaB) National Committee of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO conducts national and international
studies on biosphere reserves, ecosystem services and education for sustainable development, and helps implement UNESCO’s MaB Programme.
UNESCO
Authors
93
UNESCO
94
95
UNESCO
UNESCO
96
ISBN: 978-605-62155-8-2

Life in Camili Biosphere Reserve

Transcription

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