Report finds 317 environmental threats in Northern Forests in three months

* Photo: Northern Forests Defense

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Setting out to identify the factors of threat and destruction targeting the Northern Forests in northwestern Turkey, the Northern Forests Research Association released its 2021 last quarterly "Northern Forests Threat - Destruction Monitoring Report" yesterday (February 17).

According to the report, in the period of October, November and December 2021, 317 factors of threat, destruction and defense were identified in the area extending through Edirne, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli, Northern Çanakkale, İstanbul, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Düzce, Yalova, Balıkesir and Bursa.

When considered on a provincial basis, in the first section covering Thrace (Edirne, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Northern Çanakkale), 65 factors of threat, destruction and defense were detected. While this number was 69 in the second section including İstanbul, it was 62 in the third section where Sakarya, Kocaeli and Düzce are located and 24 in the fourth section which covers Yalova, northern Balıkesir and northern Bursa.

69 threats only in İstanbul

Located in the west of Northern Forests Geography, the rural parts of Thrace and Northern Forests were faced with increasing destruction caused by industry, mining and power plant activities and ensuing threats of water pollution and drought, the report has shown.

For this reason, the 1st section of the Northern Forests (Thrace - Çanakkale, Edirne, Kırklareli and Tekirdağ provinces) ranked second among other sections in terms of the number of monitoring activities.

In this three-month period, 69 factors of threat, destruction and defense were identified only in İstanbul. The report has found that in the part of the Northern Forests falling within the borders of İstanbul, there were mega unearned income projects as well as pollution, construction works and destruction of wildlife, which were caused and aggravated by these projects.

266 new developments

During the monitoring efforts, 56 new developments concerning protection-destruction-monitoring of wildlife were identified across the Northern Forests Geography while there were 22 new developments about water pollution, 21 new developments about general destruction, cutting of trees and defense and 19 new developments about forest fires. The total number of new developments in the region was reportedly 266.

When considered in terms of categories, the destruction of wildlife was on top of the list of new developments faced by the Northern Forests in the fourth quarter of 2021. It was followed by water pollution. (TP/SD)