Doga’s bird conservation programme includes Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) and the Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) of which the ranges in Turkey are largely depleted over the past 20 years. Despite the range depletion, the total breeding population of the Dalmatian Pelican has started to gradually increase as a result of conservation measures at the Gediz Delta and Lake Manyas. Most Great White Pelican breeding colonies in Turkey have disappeared due to loss of large wetlands, and its breeding range is now confined to two sites only. However, a significant proportion of the world and European population of the species passes from Turkey, using key wetlands in Central Anatolia and the Marmara Region.
Doga works closely with other allies to save the key breeding population of the Dalmatian Pelican at the Gediz Delta and contributes to the development of the national action plan of the species prepared in 2018. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Society for the Protection of Prespa, Doga coordinates the national breeding population census of the Dalmatian Pelican since 2017.
As of Spring 2018, Doga, in cooperation with Karabacey Municipality, launched the eastern flyway census of the Great White Pelican in Karacabey, a key migratory bottleneck for the species in the Marmara Region. The area is thought to support at least two percent of the world population and 20 percent of the European population during migration. The census aims to assess the size of the Eastern flyway population of the species, along with identifying key threats and conservation opportunities.