After olive groves, Turkey opens natural protected areas to construction

After an amendment introduced by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has opened olive groves to mining activities, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has amended a regulation which will make way for construction in natural protected areas.

According to the “Regulation on Procedures and Principles for the Identification, Registration and Approval of Protected Areas” published in the Official Gazette, the definitions of all protected areas have been extended in such a way to allow more construction in the related areas.

NOTE: The natural protected areas were grouped into three categories by the Ministry, which redefined them based on its works across the country: “Sensitive Areas to be Definitely Protected”, “Quality Natural Protected Areas” and “Sustainable Protection and Controlled Use Area.”

Quality areas

According to the amended regulation, while it was previously forbidden to build hydroelectric power plants, wind power plants and solar power plants in the “quality natural protected areas”, including special protected areas such as Patara, Kekova, Kelebekler Valley, Ihlara, Lake Salda and Pamukkale, these activities may now be undertaken in the related areas.

Electricity transmission facilities and lines, clean and waste water lines, transmission towers, communication services and open car parks may also be constructed in the “quality natural protected areas”.

Moreover, if the establishment of a transmission line along another route is found to be incongruent to “public interests” due to its geographical structure, it may be passed along these sites. Agricultural greenhouse areas and sports fields may also be constructed there.

Areas to be definitely protected

The Ministry of Environment has also made way for construction for “security purposes” in the “sensitive areas to be definitely protected”, where even people are not allowed to enter.

As per the recently amended regulation, waste water, drinking water, natural gas and electricity lines, facilities found be necessary for national security and forest fire roads may now be opened in these areas if the regional commissions give such a decision and if it is found necessary.

Sustainable areas

According to the new regulation, depending on the evaluation of the Regional Commissions, a “sustainable protection and controlled use area” may be opened to suitable low intensity natural and cultural activities, hydroelectric, wind and solar power plants, tourism and settlement in addition to the activities allowed in the former two types of protected areas.

As per this regulation, an administrative appeal may now also be the case against the registration of a site as a Natural Protected Area, which may delay or restrict the legal remedies against the decisions.

3 amendments in 9 years

The related regulation of the Ministry was amended by a Presidential decision dated March 16, 2020, which made way for construction for purposes of mining, fishing ports and tourism in protected areas. New amendments for opening the protected areas to use were also introduced to the regulation on October 27, 2017 and February 19, 2013.

Turkey, a country which is almost as rich as the entire European continent in terms of biodiversity, lags far behind Europe in terms of the surface area of its protected areas. While 25 percent of EU countries are protected areas, this rate is around 8 percent in Turkey. (TP/SD)