Century-old olive trees to be destroyed for hotel facility

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The Directorate General of Foundations has put out a tender for the construction of a hotel and tourism facility in its 24,000-square meter land in the district of Burhaniye in western province of Balıkesir.

Titled "Tender for Lease for Construction", it foresees the destruction of nearly 300 olive trees in the region for a hotel and tourism facility.

According to the announcement published in the Official Gazette, an estimated price of 26 million 767 thousand 174 Turkish Lira (TRY) has been set for the tourism facility to be constructed on the land.

With the tender scheduled for yesterday (April 6), the company who won it will have the right to rent the land for 30 years.

The monthly rent has been specified as 3 thousand lira for the first three years; in the fourth year, it will be increased by 35 thousand TRY and by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the next years.

Life defenders have denounced the tender on social media under the hashtag #SenHiçZeytinAğacıDiktinMi (Have you ever planted an olive tree?). The locals have also called on the authorities to not open the coasts for unearned income and to protect olive groves.

Some of these messages are as follows:

Yüzyılların tanığı kutsal zeytin ağaçları, bırakın var olmaya devam etsin!

İhaleyi iptal edin!@Vakiflar_Blksr #SenHiçZeytinAğacıDiktinMi pic.twitter.com/KBblj8JH3A

— Kazdağları Ekoloji Platformu (@EkolojiKaz) April 5, 2021

Ida (Kaz) Mountains Ecology Platform: "Let sacred olive trees, a witness to centuries, continue existing!" 

Şirketleri değil doğayı koruyun! Asırlık zeytin ağaçlarının sökülerek alanın ranta açılması kabul edilemez. İhaleyi iptal edin! @Vakiflar_Blksr #SenHiçZeytinAğacıDiktinMi pic.twitter.com/LHhHK1ykIm

— Her Yer Kazdağları #KazdağlarıHepimizin (@heryerkazdaglar) April 5, 2021

Everywhere is Ida Mountains: "Protect nature, not companies! Opening the area to unearned income by uprooting century-old olive trees in unacceptable. Cancel the tender!"

İklim krizinin etkilerini en ağır şekilde yaşamaya başladığımız bu günlerde artık her ağacı tek tek savunmak zorundayız.
Rant uğruna zeytin ağaçlarının sökülmesini kabul etmiyoruz. @Vakiflar_Blksr #SenHiçZeytinAğacıDiktinMi pic.twitter.com/aiIDSBEpNG

— Kazdağları Ekoloji Platformu (@EkolojiKaz) April 5, 2021

Ida Mountains Ecology Platform: "In these days when we have started to experience the effects of climate crisis most intensely, we need to defend every tree one by one. We do not accept that olive trees be uprooted for unearned income." (SO/SD)