# TEMA Foundation (TEMA Vakfı)

> Turkey's largest environmental foundation, planting about two million donated saplings a year since 1992

Source: https://treerm.org/org/tema-foundation · Updated 2026-11-08 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: National
- Headquarters: Istanbul, Istanbul, Türkiye
- Founded: 1992
- Website: https://www.tema.org.tr
- Volunteer sign-up: https://www.tema.org.tr/gonulluluk/gonullu-olun
- Donate: https://www.tema.org.tr/fidan-bagisi-secenekleri
- Countries where they plant: Türkiye
- Activity types: Afforestation (primary), Education & advocacy, Disaster & fire recovery, Research & monitoring
- Trees on record: 42,000,000 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA Vakfı) was founded in Istanbul on 11 September 1992 by businessmen Hayrettin Karaca and A. Nihat Gökyiğit. It raises sapling donations from individuals and companies and plants them with the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) as memorial forests in all 81 provinces, and monitors survival for three years; by its 2024 report it had planted more than 42 million saplings and sown 700 million oak acorns since 1992 and had about 1.2 million volunteers. In 2024 it received 2,034,191 sapling donations, relaunched the 81 Forests in 81 Provinces project with Türkiye İş Bankası (2.2 million saplings by 2028), and continued nature education, rural development, advocacy litigation (324 environmental lawsuits) and old-growth forest research.

## Programs

- **Hatıra Ormanı (memorial forests) sapling donations** — Afforestation (1992–present): Donated saplings are planted with the General Directorate of Forestry as memorial forests; in 2024 new forests were created in 30 provinces and success rates were measured on 148 sites. https://www.tema.org.tr/fidan-bagisi-secenekleri
- **81 İlde 81 Orman (81 Forests in 81 Provinces)** — Afforestation (2024–present): Partnership with Türkiye İş Bankası, first run 2008-2017 and relaunched in 2024 for the bank's centenary, aiming to plant 2.2 million saplings in all 81 provinces by end-2028. https://www.tema.org.tr/agaclandirma-sahalari
- **Replanting burned forest areas** — Disaster & fire recovery (2019–present): Dedicated sapling donations for forests destroyed by wildfire (in 2024 for Aydın, Çanakkale, Hatay and İzmir) with three-year follow-up of 38 burned sites planted since 2019. https://www.tema.org.tr/yanan-orman-alanlarinda-yapilan-calismalar

## Metrics

> Note: TEMA reports its planting as sapling donations received (fidan bağışı) in the year, which are then planted with the General Directorate of Forestry; the 2024 figure of 2,034,191 is therefore donations, not an independent count of trees in the ground. The cumulative total is stated as more than 42 million saplings in the 2024 report, 39.5 million in the 2023 report and 45 million+ on the website in November 2026. The 700 million oak acorns sown since 1992 is a separate historical programme (not currently running) and is not counted as trees. Donations converted from Turkish lira at an approximate 2024 average rate.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Funds raised (USD) | 2024 | 7,860,000 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Estimated | [source](https://cdn-tema.mncdn.com/Uploads/Cms/tema-vakfi-faaliyet-rapori--2024.pdf) 2024 Faaliyet Raporu, Gelir-Gider Tablosu 01.01.2024-31.12.2024: 'Bağış ve Yardımlar' TRY 257,671,311.49 (total income TRY 390,889,067.64). Converted at about 32.8 TRY per USD (2024 average). |
| Trees planted | 2024 | 42,000,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://cdn-tema.mncdn.com/Uploads/Cms/tema-vakfi-faaliyet-rapori--2024.pdf) 2024 Faaliyet Raporu: '1992'den bu yana ... 50.000 futbol sahası büyüklüğünde 42.000.000'dan fazla fidan toprakla buluştu' (more than 42 million saplings since 1992; also 700 million oak acorns sown). 2023 report said 39.5 million; website in Nov 2026 says 45 million+. |
| Survival rate (%) | 2024 | 75 | no (that year) | Hatıra Ormanı (memorial forests) sapling donations | Self-reported | [source](https://cdn-tema.mncdn.com/Uploads/Cms/tema-vakfi-faaliyet-rapori--2024.pdf) 2024 Faaliyet Raporu: success (survival) rate on sites completing their third year averaged 75 %, second year 76 %, first year 65 % (148 sites planted autumn 2021 to autumn 2024); burned-area sites averaged 79 %. |
| Trees planted | 2023 | 1,759,985 | no (that year) | Hatıra Ormanı (memorial forests) sapling donations | Self-reported | [source](https://cdn-tema.mncdn.com/Uploads/Cms/tema-vakfi-faaliyet-raporu--2023.pdf) 2023 Faaliyet Raporu: 'bireysel ve kurumsal bağışçılarımızdan 1.759.985 fidan bağışı aldık' (sapling donations received in 2023). |
| Trees planted | 2024 | 2,034,191 | no (that year) | Hatıra Ormanı (memorial forests) sapling donations | Self-reported | [source](https://cdn-tema.mncdn.com/Uploads/Cms/tema-vakfi-faaliyet-rapori--2024.pdf) 2024 Faaliyet Raporu, 'Orman' section: 'Ağaçlandırma çalışmalarımız için yıl boyunca 2.034.191 fidan bağışı aldık' (sapling donations received during 2024, planted with OGM as memorial forests in 30 provinces). Includes 151,018 saplings donated for burned areas. |
| Trees planted | 2024 | 243,000 | no (that year) | 81 İlde 81 Orman (81 Forests in 81 Provinces) | Self-reported | [source](https://cdn-tema.mncdn.com/Uploads/Cms/tema-vakfi-faaliyet-rapori--2024.pdf) 2024 Faaliyet Raporu: in the project's first year 400,000 saplings were planned in 15 provinces and '10 ilde 243.000 fidan toprakla buluştu' (243,000 planted in 10 provinces). |

Confidence: self-reported is the organization's own published figure; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM derived it and the note says how.

## Links

- x: https://twitter.com/temavakfi
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/temavakfi/
- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/temavakfi
- linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/temavakfi
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/temavakfi

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