Doga’s Shop, named Yavaş Dükkan, is an initiative that offers healthy and local products that support sustenance of biodiversity, particularly at IBAs and KBAs. The main four principles of Doga’s Shop are:
(i) Consumers and the manufacturers/producers shall be able to meet each other,
(ii) The entire production process shall be transparent,
(iii) All steps of production shall take into account preservation of biodiversity
(iv) Each step of the production cycle must be carried out to develop a network of fair, healthy and local products.
Doga’s Shop has a structure that enables small-scale producers and consumers to recognize each other as much as possible. Today, many producers in Turkey produce healthy and biodiversity-friendly local products, but they remain unrecognized and cannot reach potential buyers. This forms the niche of Doga’s Shop, aiming to close the gap between biodiversity-friendly producers and potential users.
Another key point for Doga’s Shop is the production process, that is transparent to all stakeholders. Information on products is made available through photographs, videos, and stories at the website of Doga’s Shop, www.yavasdukkan.net. Doga’s Shop’s products do not harm the health of people and the wider biodiversity, and they are often outputs of natural or semi-natural cycles. No chemicals or other materials that may harm human health are used.
Established in 2014, Doga’s Shop has already started to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity through increasing community ownership at priority landscapes where key products come from. Olive pastures of the Aegean, home of several bird species, is a good example of such conservation outcomes. Furthermore, significant funds are raised for through Doga’s Shop supporting three core staff of Doga’s conservation team. Lush in the UK is a key partner of Doga, cooperating on the conservation of olive pastures and other landscapes through Doga’s Shop.