Anadolu Sigorta’s Forest Eyes Project (Ormanın Gözleri Projesi) to Protect 1.2 Million Hectares in Its 5th Year

The “Forest Eyes” (Ormanın Gözleri) project, carried out by Anadolu Sigorta in cooperation with the General Directorate of Forestry (Orman Genel Müdürlüğü) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı) since 2022, offers a technology-based early response model against forest fires increasing due to the climate crisis.

Within the scope of the project, which has been ongoing for five years, approximately 1.2 million hectares will be monitored with new towers to be commissioned in 2026. 

With its “Forest Eyes” (Ormanın Gözleri) project, Anadolu Sigorta is establishing a permanent and scalable protection model across Türkiye by bringing together technology, public–private sector cooperation, and social awareness to combat forest fires whose frequency and impact continue to rise due to the climate crisis. Launched in 2022 under the leadership of the General Directorate of Forestry (Orman Genel Müdürlüğü) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı), the project was designed to detect forest fires at an early stage and raise public awareness about fire risk. The first unmanned fire observation tower within the scope of the project was commissioned in Adana Balcalı at the end of 2022. 

In 2023, next-generation towers were completed and put into service in Çanakkale, Muğla, Adana, and Antalya; in 2024, in İstanbul, İzmir, Bursa, Kahramanmaraş, and Mersin. With additional towers installed in İstanbul, Kastamonu, Muğla, Denizli, Bilecik, and İzmir in 2025, Forest Eyes evolved into an effective early warning network in regions with high fire risk. As of the end of 2025, a total of 16 fire observation towers are actively operating within the project. Through these towers, approximately 800,000 hectares are continuously monitored, and to date, 241 forest fires have been detected at a very early stage, preventing potential major disasters.

“We aim to increase public awareness and create a scalable and sustainable impact through Forest Eyes (Ormanın Gözleri)”

Berna Semiz Ergüntan, Corporate Communications, Sustainability and Disaster Management Coordinator at Anadolu Sigorta, commented on the Forest Eyes (Ormanın Gözleri) project as follows: “With the climate crisis, forest fires have become a multilayered risk area with not only environmental but also social and economic dimensions. We designed the Forest Eyes project, which marks its fifth year this year, as a permanent solution model that protects not only today but also the future against these risks. Türkiye has 23.4 million hectares of forest area, approximately 55% of which is classified as fire-sensitive. With the towers to be completed in 2026, we will monitor approximately 1,200,000 hectares. Around 800,000 hectares of this area is also considered more fire-sensitive forest land. In this way, with our new towers to be commissioned, approximately 10% of fire-sensitive areas will be observed. In addition to the fire observation system of the General Directorate of Forestry (Orman Genel Müdürlüğü), the support we have implemented will contribute to protecting approximately 5% of the forest areas monitored by the General Directorate of Forestry (Orman Genel Müdürlüğü). While bringing technology to the field through public–private sector cooperation, we have placed the life-saving power of early detection and the importance of a preventive approach at the center. With AI-supported surveillance systems, we aim to serve as the eyes and ears of our forests while also increasing public awareness and creating a scalable and sustainable impact.”

2026 target: A broader protection network across Türkiye and Cyprus

The project’s 2026 roadmap includes the installation of new AI-supported unmanned fire observation towers in the provinces of Balıkesir, Adana, Kastamonu, and Denizli, as well as the commissioning of advanced surveillance systems in Ankara (METU Forests [ODTÜ Ormanları]) and Cyprus.

Forest Eyes (Ormanın Gözleri) is not only a vital technological investment but also a strong communication and awareness initiative. Within the scope of the project, the first episode of the “Forest Eyes” (Ormanın Gözleri) documentary series met audiences in 2023, while its fourth episode was released in 2025. Beyond its technical achievements, the documentary series highlights the relationship between humans and nature and underscores shared responsibility in combating fires. Documentary filming is planned to continue in 2026.

Anadolu Sigorta’s Forest Eyes (Ormanın Gözleri) project provides a concrete example of how the private sector can create high impact in combating the climate crisis when acting together with public institutions. Through its function of early detection of forest fires and forest protection, the project directly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal “Life on Land.” It also makes a strong contribution to “Partnerships for the Goals,” demonstrating the transformative power of technology in nature conservation.

The towers provide effective surveillance not only against fires but also for other forestry activities. The systems, which also contribute to the protection of wildlife, play an important role in monitoring endangered species. By functioning as base stations for forest communication systems, the towers strengthen communication infrastructure in forested areas and significantly facilitate the coordination of emergency response teams.

In addition to tower installations, Anadolu Sigorta also supports the General Directorate of Forestry’s (Orman Genel Müdürlüğü) “Video Analytics Software and Smoke Detection System” project. Thanks to this system, cameras in OGM’s existing fire observation towers can be monitored through a single software platform. With AI-supported analysis, smoke and flames can be automatically detected in video footage, enabling fires to be identified at a very early stage. This approach strengthens the role of technology in reducing disaster risks while also offering a digitalization-based adaptation (uyum) model against climate change.