Forests are under the control of capital by the AKP order

NEWS CENTER

While the regulation amendment regarding the implementation of the Forest Law and published in the Official Gazette has particularly delighted gold miners, reactions to the removal of laws protecting forests continue.

While the palace regime is opening up the country's natural resources to profiteering and plunder day by day, capitalists are overjoyed.

Hasan Yücel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gold Miners Association (AMD), commented on the regulatory changes and expressed his satisfaction in a written statement. Yücel said, "We welcome this regulation on behalf of our sector and thank everyone who contributed."

POLICIES OF RENTAL AND PLUNDER

Speaking to Evrensel, Associate Professor Dr. Cihan Erdönmez, a faculty member at Istanbul University's Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Forestry, emphasized that the biggest problem with the amendments is Article 6. Erdönmez said, "Especially when you remove the phrase 'no permits in forest areas facing the seashore and 5 kilometers from the shoreline,' a completely different picture emerges. This is terrible! This means that open-pit mining operations can be established right under the noses of provincial, district, and residential areas, bypassing highways and divided highways! Are we not going to be able to protect anything just because it obstructs miners?"

Erdönmez, noting that the regulation amendment also amended Article 24, Paragraphs 6 and 8 of the Mining Law, said the following about these changes: “Paragraph 6 states: ‘If the total of existing permits subject to rehabilitation and requested permits subject to rehabilitation within a licensed area for mining activities conducted through open pit mining exceeds 10 hectares, the existing permitted areas will be rehabilitated and returned, and the same conditions will apply to the returned area. However, if a letter is submitted from the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs stating that the reserves are not depleted and mining activity is continuing, the return requirement will not be required.’ In other words, it says that even if the operation is not rehabilitated, it should continue.”

THEY WOULD TAKE THE CITIES IF THEY COULD

Prof. Dr. Doğanay Tolunay, Head of the Forest Engineering Department at Istanbul University's Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Forestry, said regarding the regulation changes, "Mining companies do not accept any restrictions. If they could, they would mine even in city centers."