Bird paradise lands wildlife status again
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 16, 2009 00:00
İZMİR - An İzmir administrative court has overturned an Environment Ministry decision yesterday that had stripped the İzmir Bird Paradise of its official protection status. The paradise now falls under the statute of the Wildlife Protection Area.
Home to nearly 300 bird species, the İzmir Bird Paradise lost its protection under the Wildlife Protection Area when Minister of Environment and Forest Osman Pepe canceled the statute in 2007.
After lawyers Noyan Özkan and Uğur Kalelioğlu appealed the ministry’s decision, the İzmir Third Administration Court decided yesterday to overrule the ministry’s decision because of a report by Professor Ethem Taşkavak, Associate Professor Okan Özaydın and Professor Ümit Erdem from Ege University.
International reputation
The İzmir Bird Paradise, which is officially protected by two national and one international protection statutes, also has an international reputation for its bird species. But the paradise has suffered from the effects of drought. With a project to collect water from the River Gediz, the İzmir Bird Paradise has once again become an attraction for birds that had left the area.
Privatization
Ege University Natural History Implementation and Research Center Manager Professor Mehmet Sıkı said the official statute was canceled "because they wanted to privatize Tekel Çamaltı Saltpan near the paradise. But they could not do this because it had the official statute of the Wildlife Protection Area," he said. "For that reason, the ministry canceled the statute without giving or showing any reason."
Stating that the court’s verdict was a barrier to privatizing Tekel Çamaltı Saltpan, Sıkı said: "According to the court decision, selling or hiring the tekel building is impossible. We call on ministries to respect and implement the court decision."
After lawyers Noyan Özkan and Uğur Kalelioğlu appealed the ministry’s decision, the İzmir Third Administration Court decided yesterday to overrule the ministry’s decision because of a report by Professor Ethem Taşkavak, Associate Professor Okan Özaydın and Professor Ümit Erdem from Ege University.
International reputation
The İzmir Bird Paradise, which is officially protected by two national and one international protection statutes, also has an international reputation for its bird species. But the paradise has suffered from the effects of drought. With a project to collect water from the River Gediz, the İzmir Bird Paradise has once again become an attraction for birds that had left the area.
Privatization
Ege University Natural History Implementation and Research Center Manager Professor Mehmet Sıkı said the official statute was canceled "because they wanted to privatize Tekel Çamaltı Saltpan near the paradise. But they could not do this because it had the official statute of the Wildlife Protection Area," he said. "For that reason, the ministry canceled the statute without giving or showing any reason."
Stating that the court’s verdict was a barrier to privatizing Tekel Çamaltı Saltpan, Sıkı said: "According to the court decision, selling or hiring the tekel building is impossible. We call on ministries to respect and implement the court decision."