Zafer Kızılkaya is a professional conservation photographer and marine conservationist. Having civil engineering and coastal zone management degrees, his passion for marine conservation and photography brought him to Indo-Pacific region.

He worked over 10 years in different tropical marine conservation projects and for National Geographic assignments. In 2012 he was the co-founder of Mediterranean Conservation Society, dedicated his career establishing marine protected areas in Eastern Mediterranean. He won “Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) Award, 2013”, “UNDP Equator Prize, 2014” with “Gökova Bay Community Conservation Project”, Whitley Gold Award in 2017, “Goldman Environmental Prize” in 2023 and Mediterranean Blue Wave Award in 2025 accomplishing to establish 350 km² of new Highly Marine Protected Areas in Turkey.

He is leading where participatory marine resource management model that engages a wide range of stakeholders in monitoring, evaluation, and program design. He focuses on replicating Gökova Bay successful Marine Protected Area model in other parts of Turkey and conservation of endangered species like Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus, and habitats.