The story of KAB Ecology began in 2009, when its founder, Kerem Ali Boyla, worked as a biodiversity consultant for the Bahçe (Gökçedağ) Wind Power Plant project financed by the International Finance Corporation. Following this project, a field research team was established and studies began to be carried out for infrastructure and energy projects such as highways, airports, wind farms, and pipelines. In 2015, acoustic bat surveys were added to the company’s services, and in 2019 the Istanbul office was established. The first international projects were conducted in Cuba and Afghanistan in 2020.
Our Values:
Priority for Nature Conservation: We prioritize nature conservation and strive to ensure that economic and operational considerations do not override conservation principles. Based on the Nature Positive approach, we aim to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
Evidence-Based Work and Archiving: We build all our work on scientific data and solid findings. By systematically archiving our data and reports, we aim to build a solid know-how and aim to contribute knowledge generation.
Valuing Employees and Open Communication: We value the efforts, development, and ideas of our employees. We believe that open communication and transparency form the foundation of strong teamwork.
Trust and Humility in Relationships: We work with an approach that is open to learning, questioning, and continuous self-improvement. Mutual trust forms the basis of the relationships we build both with our stakeholders and within our team.
Development, Change, and Sustainability: Aware that ecology is a constantly evolving field, we continuously improve our working practices and methodologies. We view sustainability not only in terms of protecting natural resources, but also in terms of the long-term development of human capacity.
Kerem Ali Boyla
Founder and Scientific Director
Kerem Ali Boyla is an ecologist, ornithologist, and conservation specialist with more than 25 years of experience. He graduated from the Biology Department of Middle East Technical University (METU) and completed his MSc in Ecology at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. During his time at BirdLife International, he contributed to the preparation and publication of the Important Bird Areas inventory for South America. Throughout his career, he has worked nationally and internationally on bird and biodiversity conservation, wildlife monitoring systems, and ecological assessments. He began working as an independent ecological consultant in 2009 and founded KAB Ecology in 2021. He specializes particularly in bird and bat studies, mortality monitoring, and ecological risk assessments for wind energy projects. He also coordinated the Breeding Bird Atlas of Türkiye, played a leading role in establishing the eBird Türkiye portal, and has long been actively involved in voluntary conservation initiatives.
Çağrı Tekatlı
General Manager
Holding a PhD in Biology, Çağrı brings extensive field experience in flora and fauna surveys and monitoring. He has played a key role in biodiversity management and planning processes, and has led compliance efforts with international financial institution standards across multiple projects. Through his work with leading environmental consulting firms, he has collaborated closely with expert teams and built strong expertise in project coordination and team leadership.
Serap Vural
Accounting and Finance
She graduated from Anadolu University, Faculty of Business Administration at 2012. Than she began her career at an accounting office. Over time, she worked for 12 years in various positions within the finance department of a group of companies operating across multiple sectors, including home appliances, automotive, and construction. Drawing on her extensive industry knowledge and experience, she joined KAB Ecology in 2021, where she currently oversees and manages all accounting and financial operations of the company.
Cem Akın
Field Surveyor
He began observing and photographing nature, particularly birds, in 2006 at the Filyos Delta in Zonguldak. He has won four awards in nature photography competitions. In 2010, he dedicated much of his time to birdwatching. His birding career began in 2011 with KOSK counts and expanded through his involvement in the Breeding Bird Atlas of Turkey and various conservation and biodiversity projects. In 2020, he was part of the team that implemented the first turbine shutdown protocol at the Kıyıköy wind energy project with KAB Ecology, conducting bird monitoring and mortality surveys. Since joining KAB Ecology in 2025, he has been working primarily on international projects, focusing on bird monitoring, PCFM, acoustic bat studies, and field coordination.
Dilara Akpınar
Project Assistant
She graduated from the Biology Department of Ondokuz Mayıs University in 2014 and obtained her MSc in Forestry Engineering from Istanbul University in 2023. Her master’s thesis focused on nest site selection and nest tree characteristics of woodpeckers in Belgrad Forest. She has volunteered at the Kızılırmak Delta Bird Ringing Station and the METU Ecological Campus Project, and has a particular interest in ecological monitoring using acoustic bird recording devices. Since joining KAB Ecology in 2021, she has been actively involved in data management, digitization, and fieldwork, and prepares technical reports in both Turkish and English.
Dilara Arslan
Data Scientist
She completed her PhD at Avignon University (France) in 2022. Her doctoral research focused on the comparative biodiversity of bird and reptile communities in agricultural and urban landscapes in the Gediz Delta (İzmir, Turkey). Between 2022 and 2024, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in macroecology at the Community Ecology and Conservation Laboratory of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU), where she examined how anthropogenic threats shape the biodiversity of different taxa (amphibians, birds, and reptiles) across broad biogeographical regions. As of 2025, she works as a data analyst at KAB Ecology.
Maha Salameh
Bat Expert
She completed her MSc in terrestrial ecology and evolution at the University of Bordeaux in 2019, and earned her PhD in Environmental Sciences from Boğaziçi University in 2026, focusing on the evolutionary history and conservation genomics of the common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus). After joining KAB Ecology as an intern in 2020, she has become a key member of the team. She leads acoustic analyses in bat monitoring studies, implementing monitoring protocols at wind farms, processing and analyzing recordings using industry-standard software, and conducting species identification through molecular analyses in mortality studies. She also holds the BatAbility Certificate in Bat Acoustic Analysis (2022) from the Bat Conservation Trust.
Nartjan Özden
Project Coordinator
He graduated from the Biology Department of Hacettepe University and completed his MSc in Ecology at the same university in 2022. During his studies, he worked for seven years as a volunteer in the Functional Ecology Laboratory, contributing to projects on agriculture and livestock practices, human–nature interactions, fire ecology, and steppe ecosystems. He then spent two years at the İzmir Planning Agency working on sustainability and green transition initiatives. Since 2023, he has held various roles in the environmental sector, specializing in projects aligned with international standards such as IFC Performance Standard 6 (PS6). As of 2025, he serves as a Project Manager at KAB Ecology.
Zehra Torun
Project Coordinator
She graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at Ondokuz Mayıs University in 2021. Since 2016, she has gained strong field experience as a licensed bird ringer at the Cernek Ringing Camp of the OMU Ornithology Research Center. She has built her career around bird and bat monitoring and biodiversity research in wind energy projects. At AİRRES Electricity Generation, she worked as a Biodiversity Specialist, conducting bird surveys and carcass searches and coordinating ESAP implementation. In 2025, she joined KAB Ecology as a Project Coordinator, managing fieldwork, preparing technical reports, and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. She specializes in ecological assessments aligned with IFC standards.
Cansu Özcan
Bird Surveyor (former)
She majored biology at Hacettepe University (Turkey) and started birdwatching in 2012. For her master’s degree, she studied the reproductive success, habitat preference and diet of Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) in Bolu, Northwestern Turkey. In 2015, she began her long term research on the Eastern Imperial and Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) in Turkey in collaboration with international experts. She participated in the bird surveys for KAB Ecology since 2019.
Cemil Gezgin
Bird Surveyor
He started birdwatching at a young age in the forests of Yalova. He became one of the founders of the Istanbul Bird Watching Society in 2000 and mentored countless beginner bird watchers. He took part in bird research and nature conservation projects all across Turkey. He is an author of the TRAKUS Birds of Turkey book and also a regional reviewer for eBird online bird database. He has been working as a bird and botanical surveyor at infrastracture projects since 2009.
Nizamettin Yavuz
Bird Surveyor
He started birdwatching in Samsun Kızılırmak Delta. He has a ringing permit and has been in charge of the Kizilirmak Delta Bird Ringing Station for 20 years. He has conducted and published many nature conservation and research projects in ornithology. He is among the authors of the book TRAKUS Birds of Turkey and also a regional reviewer for eBird online bird database. He has been working as a bird surveyor at infrastracture projects since 2014.
Kadri Kaya
Bird Surveyor
He started birdwatching in 2007, he is a nature enthuisiast in Ayvalık region, Western Turkey. He took part in bird research and nature conservation projects in many regions of Turkey. He organised the Mid-Bird Waterfowl Counts in the Aegean region. In addition, he is interested in nature walks and photography. He has been involved in bird and biodiversity surveys in infrastructure projects since 2014.
Sedat İnak
Bird Surveyor
Sedat İnak is a dedicated ornithologist and ecologist and surveyor. He served as the lead ringer at Aras and Kuyucuk Bird Ringing Stations for 6 years, where he obtained his bird ringer license. He holds a master’s degree in biology, with a thesis on the song migration strategies. For 4 years, Sedat was an integral part of the survey team responsible for monitoring migratory soaring birds at Istanbul Airport. Since 2019, Sedat has been actively engaged as a bird surveyor on infrastructure projects. His expertise spans pre-construction and post-construction bird surveys and post-construction fatality monitoring.” Currently, he’s pursuing a doctorate degree in landscape architecture.
Süleyman Ekşioğlu
Biodiversity Surveyor
Süleyman Ekşioğlu is a nature researcher who has been working on butterflies and birds for many years, with a strong focus on their conservation. Based in Ankara, he is actively involved in faunistic research, species conservation, and bird atlas projects within the Doğa Araştırmaları Derneği. He has been observing birds since 1991 and butterflies since 2001, and has contributed to numerous biodiversity projects across Türkiye. Through work with the Doğa Koruma Merkezi (DKM), he has carried out extensive field studies, biodiversity inventories, and ecological mapping. He has also taken part in major initiatives such as the Breeding Bird Atlas of Türkiye led by WWF-Türkiye, and has written articles encouraging citizen science and nature observation. As part of the KAB Ecology team, he works on bird monitoring, mortality studies, and acoustic bat research.
Şebnem Samsa İnak
Bird Surveyor
She started birdwatching as an undergraduate majoring in biology and she completed her thesis on the birds of Çardak Lagoon in Çanakkale. She was a member of the scientific team researching Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles for 4 years. She was part of the survey team monitoring soaring migratory birds at the Istanbul Airport for 4 years. Currently she is a PhD student at the Department of Landscape Architecture of Düzce University. She has been working as a bird surveyor at infrastracture projects since 2019.