The Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area is a protected natural reserve in the Turkish province of Muğla. In June 1988 it was determined and declared the first protected area of its kind (Özel Çevre Koruma Bölgesi) of Turkey. In 1990 the original SPA area was extended westwards. Up to now, there are fourteen natural reserves with this status, of which Pamukkale is probably the best-known. All these areas are under the supervision of the ÖÇKK, the Turkish Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas.
The area got its special status as a result of Prince Philip´s request to the Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Özal for a moratorium on the construction of a hotel complex at İztuzu Beach, while awaiting an environmental impact assessment. At the time Prince Philip was President of the WWF, which had been approached by environmentalists such as June Haimoff, Günther Peter, David Bellamy, Lily Venizelos, Nergis Yazgan and Keith Corbett to help stop the construction of a hotel complex at the beach. İztuzu Beach was one of the main nesting areas for the endangered loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), and the environmentalists were trying to preserve the turtle’s habitat. In September 1987 the construction project was suspended for an environmental impact assessment, and in 1988 the Turkish government decided upon a construction prohibition because of the area’s special significance. That was not only because of the natural importance of the beach and its significance as a turtle habitat, but also because of the cultural and historical significance and the geological importance of the Dalyan-Köyceğiz hinterland.Because of its protected status, the area offers good and ample opportunities for ecotourism and recreation. For one, the Köyceğiz-Dalyan SEPA boasts the most fantastic panoramic vistas.
