A recent presidential decree has allowed for the removal of designated land in 11 Turkish provinces from the boundaries of the country’s forested areas, legalizing construction on forested land and raising further concerns about deforestation, the T24 news website reported on Wednesday.
According to the decree, issued by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and entering into force when it was published in the Official Gazette on Dec. 13, certain land was excluded from the boundaries of forested areas in Antalya, Balıkesir, İstanbul, Izmir, Kütahya, Manisa, Muğla, Mersin, Sivas, Trabzon and Yozgat provinces.
The decree states that the Ministry of Environment will transfer at least twice the amount of land that will lose its forests to the General Directorate of Forestry for the planting of new trees in a bid to compensate for the loss of forestland.
Although forests in Turkey are protected by Article 169 of the constitution, which prohibits any “acts or actions that might damage forests,” the controversial decree was issued within the context of Article 16 of Forest Law, which was added to the law as part of amendments in 2018.
Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government have been accused by opposition members and environmental groups of paving the way for the devastation of forestland through fires to make construction of lucrative projects in those areas possible. Hotels were built or mines were opened in some of these areas that were devastated by fires.
Last summer, Turkey witnessed dramatic scenes when Akbelen Forest in the Aegean province of Muğla was occupied by villagers and activists trying to stop the trees from being felled by a mine’s owner, an energy company close to the government.
Environmentalists and local communities have expressed concern that the AKP’s policies prioritize economic interests and favor pro-government mining companies, often at the expense of important natural habitats.