Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion

Fourteen bonsai trees of late Turkish environmentalist Hayrettin Karaca, nicknamed "Grandpa Earth," in the Yalova Bonsai Museum — Türkiye's first and Europe's largest — are being passed down to future generations.

Some 88 percent of the forest fires break out due to human-induced reasons, while the number of such incidents has risen significantly in the last two decades, says a prominent environmental organization.

The "Lost Tulip," which became extinct in Anatolia in 1896, has bloomed again in the northern province of Bartın's Amasra district, its homeland, offering a mesmerizing site to look at with its beautiful red and orange tones.

Türkiye is in the grip of drought, and the country will pay a heavier price if strict actions are not immediately taken, experts have warned.

A retired Turkish officer is on a mission to leave behind a greener planet to honor the memory of his late wife.

Ali Arseven, who retired from the Turkish Armed Forces in 1993, moved to Turkey's Aegean Mugla province where he has grown thousands of trees.

He underwent a brain surgery 10 years ago and says the recovery phase was particularly difficult.

The first thing to be done in the fight against desertification is to prevent land degradation and then engage in restoration that rehabilitates the destroyed land, experts said. Caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations, desertification directly affects human life and the sustainability of the planet.

The co-founder and honorary president of one of Turkey's foremost non-profit environmental organizations, Hayrettin Karaca was on Jan. 22 laid to rest in ceremonies held in Istanbul.

The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA) founder, Karaca died on Jan. 20 at the age of 97.

The co-founder and honorary president of one of Turkey's foremost non-profit environmental organizations, Hayrettin Karaca -- or as he was known, Grandpa Earth -- died on Jan. 20 at the age of 97.

Hayrettin Karaca, a prominent Turkish environmentalist, passed away on Jan.  at the age of 97.

He founded the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA), the country's largest environmental non-profit organization, in 1992.

His efforts led to the establishment of Turkey's first private botanical garden.