Turkey's endemic sweetgum forests (Liquidambar orientalis) a unique symbol of biodiversity, hosted 30 artists in June 2016 for the country's first wildlife art project. The result was a spectacular body of work; "Art in Sweetgum Forests", produced by a multi-talented group of artists from different disciplines, some of them experiencing nature and on-site drawing for the First time. Supported by the EU Civil Society Dialogue Programme, this project was realized through a collaboration of expertise between Turkey's Doğa Koruma Merkezi - DKM (Nature Conservation Centre), which conducts scientific studies on nature conservation in Turkey, and the Society of Wildlife Artists - SWLA, which uses art as a means of awareness for nature and wildlife. Four SWLA artists joined Turkish artist from different areas of expertise, and together they produced more than 400 works in different media, studying and painting together in Anatolia's sweetgum forests. The project aims to protect the rare sweetgum forests and popularize the notion of "art for nature" in Turkey. The artists, each representing a different facet of nature in their works, also help support the building of bridges between Turkey and the EU --vendor description.