Functional Forests Zeytinalani (FFZA) is situated amidst an arid agricultural land in rural Köyceğiz, Muğla. The farmers of the area rely on seasonal grains and small-scale animal husbandry. The recent surge of migration from big cities to the area has impacted land prices dramatically and thereby incentivised local farmers to sell their land. This is having devastating effects on local culture, traditional land-use practices, and the environment. Functional Forests Zeytinalan is lead by an interdisciplinary team with rural and urban backgrounds. They are combining traditional and scientific knowledge through decades of design, implementation and entrepreneurial experience to design, implement, manage, monitor and disseminate Functional Forests. They have a holistic approach to regenerative, small-to-large-scale, poly-cultural production based on a culmination of Indigenous and Syntropic Farming Methods. Besides food, medicine, fodder, fuel, fibre, building materials etc, Functional Forests provide many other social, economic, ecological and motivational benefits for regeneration. The team is planting seeds, seedlings, and saplings of a multi-layered Functional Forest. At the same time, they are weaving relationships with local and regional players from all walks of life to develop the social fabric that is needed for social, economic, and ecological restoration.

Functional Forests Zeytinalani envisions a world where humanity associates the main source of its basic needs with Functional Forests. This ecosystem restoration community’s interventions on four different implementation sites, with differing soil, climate and socio-economic conditions, show radical transformation in biomass, biodiversity and organic matter. Hence there is also more moisture in the soil making it agreeable for native varieties to recolonise more rapidly. Simultaneously, Functional Forests is observing a massive increase in local fauna which has a significant, positive, impact on the resilience of their gardens where they produce food, seed, fodder, fuel, fiber and building materials. Functional Forests has demonstrated a sincere and committed attitude towards building a life in communion with nature since 2000 which has enabled them to build trust relationships with the local culture. They are therefore closely engaged in the exchange of know-how, skills, materials, tools, customs and social relationships (men and women) that improve the ability of the local community to better cope with the day to day life conditions.