Action Plan on combatting bio-smuggling.

The Action Plan on combatting bio-smuggling is a national policy laying down measures to combat bio-smuggling as well as to conserve biodiversity and genetic resources of plants and animals living in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and their wild relatives. The objectives of this policy are: (I) strengthening the legal and institutional framework to combat bio-smuggling, (II) improving the technical infrastructure for the detection of bio-smuggling, and (III) raising public awareness on bio-smuggling. This policy has been drafted within the National Guidelines on combatting bio-smuggling which is annexed.
The legislative framework on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing and combating bio-smuggling will be reviewed and sanctions will be strengthened to ensure their implementation, in order to ensure the protection of genetic resources and related traditional information. Furthermore, the application, permit, control and inspection mechanisms regarding the activities to be carried out by foreigners regarding biological resources in Turkey will be carried out in a coordinated and interinstitutional manner. A web portal on the activities and information sharing system for monitoring bio-smuggling will be established within the Ministry and its integration with the relevant units (education, data transfer, warning, statistical data, etc.) will be ensured. The capacities of technical personnel, including biologist, veterinarian, agricultural engineer, forest engineer, wildlife technician and law enforcement officers, will be increased for the effective detection of bio-smuggling at the borders. Administrative and/or legal measures will be taken to control whether international shipments contain living or non-living biological material, water and soil samples. Declaration forms will be prepared for foreigners which contain information and warnings about bio-smuggling and a commitment not to collect or take biological materials and/or derivatives from nature without permission. The habitats of species that may be exposed to bio-smuggling (such as wild relatives of cultural varieties or endemic species with economic value) will be determined on the map, within the National Biological Diversity Inventory and Monitoring Project. The species collected from nature and allowed to be exported and the critical species and their derivatives that are completely prohibited to be exported will be listed. In case of detection of any prohibited species at borders, law enforcement officers have the right to seize, and the seized biological material will be delivered to the relevant unit in the shortest time.
Public awareness will be raised on bio-smuggling through announcements, documentaries, short films, posters and brochures. Trainings will be provided to youth, women, farmers, cooperatives and unions regarding bio-smuggling, biodiversity, endangered and endemic species. Permanent information equipment will be provided, such as a warning sign, which will inform tourists and local people about regulations and sanctions related to bio-smuggling. Environmental education and training will be provided to all stakeholders engaged in the tourism sector and these trainings will also include information about bio-smuggling. In addition to that, biodiversity and bio-smuggling issues will be integrated into school curriculum as well as into the basic training courses for hunters.