Akbelen Forest Explained

Area:[1]
Map:Turkey
Location:İkizköy, Muğla Province, Turkey

Akbelen Forest is a woodland in the Muğla Province of Turkey, located near İkizköy village.

In July 2023, most of the forest was cut down by YK Energy to make way for expansion of İkizköy lignite mine, which supplies the nearby Yeniköy power station. The deforestation attracted protests in July 2023. The protests were met with a police response and national media attention. Sixty percent of the forest had been destroyed by August.

A presidential decree to expropriate over 2000 hectares of land for mining was granted in March 2024, but cancelled the same month.

The forest

The forest covers 740hectare[2] and is home to various tree species, such as Turkish pine,[3] oak, alder, chestnut and sycamore.[4]

It is located near the village of İkizköy,[5] Muğla Province where the government-linked[6] YK Energy operates an opencast coal mine (one of the Yeniköy lignite mines) and the Yeniköy and Kemerköy coal-fired power plants, two of the oldest coal-fired power plants in Turkey.

Protests and responses

Local women led their communities in protests against the planned deforestation beginning in 2019.[7] [8] Deforestation by YK Energy began on July 24, 2023.[9] On July 27, local activists reported that the forest was three days away from being completely destroyed. The deforestation was completed on July 31.[10] Although many Turkish pines were cut down, conservation organization Doğa Derneği said that the maquis and the soil should be left undisturbed so that the forest could regenerate itself.[11]

The protests garnered national attention in July 2023, as opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu joined the protestors.[12] Protestors were met with armoured vehicles, tear gas, and water cannons. Forty people were detained or arrested. Two journalists reporting on the deforestation were fined, and one was detained and accused of "trespassing."[13] The main opposition Republican People's Party wanted a debate in parliament, but it did not take place as government MPs prorogued.[14] Some academics also said the mine expansion should be cancelled, for example Hacettepe University Department of Biology Prof. Dr. Utku Perktaş said that trees are important to help prevent climate change in Turkey.

Yeniköy and Kemerköy power plants supply most of the electricity in the South Aegean part of the country.[15] YK Energy said in a press release that most of the more than 3,000 employees were recruited locally. Their press release also said that the power stations provide baseload power that could not be replaced by renewable energy. The company's press release also stated that the forest is not a conservation zone, that they will restore the ecosystem once mining is complete, and that the company has planted millions of trees countrywide.[16] According to the Muğla Govenorate 130,000 saplings will be planted to rehabilitate the area.[17] Political scientist Elif Shafak has noted that 90% of trees planted by previous government-sponsored initiatives have died.[18]

In August 2023, environmental engineer Deniz Gümüşel stated that sixty percent of the forest was destroyed; gendarmes remained stationed in the area.[19] As there is a clause in the constitution saying that the environment should be protected, a volunteer lawyer for the inhabitants of İkizköy has alleged that the gendarmerie acted unconstitutionally by stopping the protesters from protecting the environment.[20] President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dismissed the protestors as "environmentalist-looking marginals" on August 7.[21]

On September 1, 2023, anti-deforestation protestors released a press statement condemning the ongoing deforestation.[22]

In March 2024 the presidential decree to expropriate over 2000 hectares of land for mining was granted then cancelled two days later.[23]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Akbelen nerede? Akbelen ormanı hangi ile ve ilçeye bağlı? . 2023-08-04 . . 28 July 2023 . tr . 2023-08-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230804133538/https://www.trhaber.com/genel/akbelen-nerede-akbelen-ormani-hangi-ile-ve-ilceye-bagli-h117220.html . live.
  2. News: Altayli . Birsen . Karakas . Burcu . 2023-07-27 . Protesters occupy forest to stop Turkish coal mine expansion . en . . live . 2023-07-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230728092509/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/protesters-occupy-forest-stop-turkish-coal-mine-expansion-2023-07-27/ . 2023-07-28.
  3. Web site: Akbelen Ormanı İçin Geç Değil! . It's not too late for Akbelen Forest' . 2023-08-05 . . 4 August 2023 . tr-TR . 2023-08-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805095653/https://www.dogadernegi.org/akbelen-ormani-icin-gec-degil/ . live.
  4. Web site: Akbelen nerede? Akbelen ormanı hangi ile ve ilçeye bağlı? . 2023-08-05 . . 28 July 2023 . tr . 2023-08-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230804133538/https://www.trhaber.com/genel/akbelen-nerede-akbelen-ormani-hangi-ile-ve-ilceye-bagli-h117220.html . live.
  5. News: Turkish olive farmer battles to save her land from coal mine . en . . live . 2023-07-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230727164038/https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/turkish-olive-farmer-battles-to-save-her-land-from-coal-mine . 2023-07-27.
  6. News: Erok . Can . Buyuk . Hamdi Firat . 3 Aug 2023 . Turkish Environmentalists Struggle to Save Forest from Coalmine Company . . 20 August 2023 . 5 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805214059/https://balkaninsight.com/2023/08/03/turkish-environmentalists-struggle-to-save-forest-from-coalmine-company/ . live.
  7. News: Shafak . Elif . 2023-08-26 . In the battle to save the world's forests, women are leading the resistance . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-09-03 . 0261-3077 . 2023-09-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230902181522/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/26/world-forests-women-akbelen-turkey-india-brazil-developers . live .
  8. Web site: 2023-08-03 . These women are fighting back on the continued destruction of Turkey's Akbelen forest . 2023-09-03 . Global Voices . en . 2023-09-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230903111144/https://globalvoices.org/2023/08/03/these-women-are-fighting-back-on-the-continued-destruction-of-turkeys-akbelen-forest/ . live .
  9. Web site: 2023-07-28 . Grandparents among activists defending Turkish forest from coal mining . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230729151546/https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/07/28/we-will-not-give-up-how-a-turkish-forest-became-the-site-of-fierce-coal-mine-resistance . 2023-07-29 . 2023-07-30 . . en.
  10. Web site: Wilks . Andrew . 31 July 203 . Locals vow to keep fighting to save a forest in southwest Turkey after the chainsaws finish work . 2023-07-31 . ABC News . en . 2023-07-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230731145253/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/locals-vow-fighting-save-forest-southwest-turkey-after-101865713 . live.
  11. Web site: Doğa Derneği Nature is us! . 2 August 2023 . 2023-08-20 . en-US . 2023-08-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820151459/https://www.dogadernegi.org/en/stop-deforestration-in-akbelen/ . live.
  12. Web site: 2023-07-28 . CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu visits protests in Akbelen Forest . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230730185435/https://www.duvarenglish.com/chp-leader-kilicdaroglu-visits-protests-in-akbelen-forest-news-62820 . 2023-07-30 . 2023-07-30 . . English.
  13. Web site: 2023-07-26 . Journalists fined for entering Akbelen Forest while covering protest of villagers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230727165522/https://www.duvarenglish.com/journalists-fined-for-entering-akbelen-forest-while-covering-protest-of-villagers-news-62800 . 2023-07-27 . 2023-07-30 . . English.
  14. News: Parliament to meet to discuss the Akbelen forest on August 8 . . 2023-08-05 . 2023-08-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820145608/https://m.bianet.org/english/environment/282395-parliament-to-meet-to-discuss-the-akbelen-forest-on-august-8 . live.
  15. Web site: 2023-07-28 . YK Enerji'den Akbelen Ormanı açıklaması . 2023-08-21 . www.trthaber.com . tr . 2023-08-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801125527/https://www.trthaber.com/haber/ekonomi/yk-enerjiden-akbelen-ormani-aciklamasi-784754.html . live.
  16. Web site: 28 July 2023 . Statement by YK Enerji . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230806180701/https://www.limak.com.tr/files/YK_Enerji_PublicAnnouncement_ENG.pdf . 6 August 2023 . 6 August 2023.
  17. Web site: 2023-07-31 . Locals vow to keep fighting to save a forest in southwest Turkey after the chainsaws finish work . 2023-08-22 . AP News . en . 2023-08-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230821193908/https://apnews.com/article/akbelen-ikizkoy-turkey-forest-mining-environment-protest-b7be1431daa5614aa0b7d1f81d47669c . live .
  18. News: Kent . Sami . 2020-01-30 . Most of 11m trees planted in Turkish project 'may be dead' . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-09-03 . 0261-3077 . 2020-01-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200130103654/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/30/most-of-11m-trees-planted-in-turkish-project-may-be-dead . live .
  19. Web site: Muhabir . 2023-08-21 . Akbelen'de nöbet tutan askerler, ağaç gölgesi olmadığı için çadırda nöbet tutuyorlar . 2023-08-21 . Milas Karya Haber . tr . 2023-08-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230821193844/https://karyahabermilas.com/yozgatta-yolcu-otobusu-ucuruma-yuvarlandi12-kisi-hayatini-kaybetti-19-kisi-yaralandi/ . live.
  20. Web site: 2023-08-17 . Akbelen'de ağaç kesen şirket yerine yurttaşı ablukaya alan jandarma hakkında başvuru - Yeşil Gazete . 2023-08-21 . tr . 2023-08-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230821193901/https://yesilgazete.org/akbelende-agac-kesen-sirket-yerine-yurttasi-ablukaya-alan-jandarma-hakkinda-basvuru/ . live.
  21. Web site: 2023-07-08 . Erdoğan calls activists and villagers in Akbelen Forest 'marginals' . 2023-08-21 . . en . 2023-08-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230821193832/https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkish-gendarmerie-continue-to-protect-mining-company-in-akbelen-forest-batter-villagers-news-62826?history=1 . live.
  22. Web site: KIRTIŞ . Nedim . 1 September 2023 . Akbelen Ormanı'nda Gerilim! Mücadele Büyüyor . 2023-09-05 . Gazete Yenigün . tr . 2023-09-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230905030633/https://www.gazeteyenigun.com.tr/akbelen-ormaninda-gerilim-mucadele-buyuyor . live .
  23. Web site: 2024-03-16 . Decision to set mining zone near Akbelen Forest canceled . 2024-08-10 . . en.

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