Forest land auction stops in northern Turkey following public outcry
The Forestry Directorate in northern Turkey’s Rize province has paused the auction of the forest lands after the decision led to public outcry. Last week, a villager protesting tree cutting in the neighboring province was shot dead by attackers.
Duvar English
The Fındıklı Forestry Directorate of Turkey’s northern Rize province on Sept. 11 announced that it has canceled plans to auction off forest lands in the district “due to concerns raised by the local community.”
The letter sent to the municipality regarding the cancellation of the auction included the following statements, "Due to concerns raised by the local community about potential social problems in the area where the forest park is located, a reassessment of the area and its usage plan is required.”
Therefore, the auction scheduled for the “leasing of the operating rights of income-generating facilities in the forest Park” was canceled.
Fındıklı Municipality’s Natural Life, Ecology, and Environment Working Commission, along with the Fındıklı City Council, held a press conference on Sept. 10 to protest the Forest Directorate's decision to auction off forest lands, the mining exploration areas in the region, and the killing of in the Cankurtaran village.
The public outrage against such deforestation projects grew when Reşit Kibar, villager of the Cankurtan the northern Artvin province, was killed on Sept. 3 as a group opened fire to the protesters convened to block construction equipment from entering the forest for a planned recreational area project.