* Photo: Northern Forests Defense
Click to read the article in Turkish
The Northern Forests Research Association has published its third report within the scope of its work that started in April 2020 in order to contribute to the activities of the Northern Forests Defense and to be a part of the efforts to protect the Northern Forests, a branch of the European forest belt.
The second of the reports shared with the public on a quarterly basis covers the months of January-February-March. During this period, 230 different threats, destruction, and defense were recorded in 331 monitors carried out in the Northern Forests region. Of these, 74 were in the 1st region, 101 in the 2nd region, 72 in the 3rd region, and 13 in the 4th region.
NOTE: Northern Forests provinces are Edirne, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli, Northern Çanakkale, İstanbul, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Düzce, Yalova, Northern Balıkesir, Northern Bursa. These provinces are; First Region: Edirne - Tekirdağ - Kırklareli - Northern Çanakkale; Second Region: İstanbul; Third Region: Sakarya - Kocaeli - Düzce; Forth Region is divided into sub-regions as Yalova - Northern Balıkesir - Northern Bursa.
Of the monitors; 81 of them were detected in January, 119 in February, and 131 in March. Within the scope of the monitoring activity carried out in the first three months of 2021, the mining activity with the most news was in the first place with 40 monitoring, drought was in the second place with 28 monitoring, and hunting was in the third place with 22 monitoring. On the other hand, 45 percent of the news on the Northern Forests found the most coverage in national media, 27 percent in local media, and 26 percent in news agencies. |
Drought in the middle of winter
Although the monitoring period was in the winter months, drought was one of the most common monitoring subjects.
According to the report, almost all of the Northern Forests' lakes and dams suffered serious water loss during this period, and some of them began to dry out. Experts said this was due to construction pressure on water basins, industry and population build-up in the region, and the climate crisis.
İstanbul and megaprojects
In the report, İstanbul was the most monitored region due to the intense threat and destruction of megaprojects and quarries.
The report of the Northern Forests Research Association has noted that the 3rd Bridge, Northern Marmara Highway (KMO), and 3rd Airport projects, which significantly destroyed the areas of the Northern Forests within the boundaries of İstanbul, and the construction/settlement pressure on the fragmented areas of the Northern Forests gradually increased.
According to the report, forest occupations were observed with many new construction projects, especially in northern districts such as Arnavutköy, Sarıyer, Beykoz, Şile, and Çekmeköy. In addition, the quarries that were opened in the forest to provide construction materials for these projects continued to be enlarged. The quarries were concentrated in the Sultangazi, Maslak, Şile, and Ömerli locations of the İstanbul Northern Forests.
The Canal İstanbul continues
During the three-month monitoring activity, it was seen that the preparations for the Canal İstanbul project, which will harm not only İstanbul but also the entire geography of the Northern Forests, the Black Sea, and Marmara Sea ecosystems, were continued.
The report stated that the lands with the last water, agricultural, and forestry areas on the European side of İstanbul quickly changed hands.
Mines and Wind Power Plant (WPP) in Thrace
The region under threat and destruction at the highest rate after İstanbul was Thrace. Thrace; in addition to the rapidly spreading mine and wind power plant (WPP) projects in Istranca Mountains, was also devastated by the industrial pollution affecting the whole region.
The destruction started for the Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) Natural Gas port and pipeline project in Saros Bay and surrounding forested areas. In addition, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Dönmez announced that Thrace came to the fore for the second nuclear power plant.
Hunting
According to the report, during the hunting season that ended in March, all parts of the Northern Forests were under intense pressure by hunters.
Hunters also killed a small number of wild animals trying to live in forests, where the projects of destruction were relatively remote. Many wild animals became hunting targets.
In addition, industrial fishing activities concentrated in the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, and the Bosphorus, where the Northern Forests are intertwined, led to the depletion of the population of many fish species, dozens of dolphins, and sea turtles drowned in these nets.
Fires
According to the information announced by official sources in a period of three months, fires destroyed an area of 15 hectares at 10 points.
Two of these fires took place in Düzce and Sakarya in January and eight took place in İznik, Düzce, Sakarya, Yedigöller, and Beykoz in February.
Defense
According to the report, people living in Northern Forests gathered and defended nature against threats and destruction projects.
The report stated, "It is seen that the effects of the consequences of environmental damage are increasing day by day and that the inhabitants of the Northern Forests are organizing to fight against this situation."
* Click here to read the full report (in Turkish)
(TP/DCE/SD)
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