State sanctions destruction of Istanbul’s Ayazağa

The desruction of the forests is clearly visible from aerial photographs taken over time. The Provincial Forestry Directorate said the felling of trees was permitted by law.

Forests in Ayazağa, considered the "lungs of Istanbul," are slowly being destroyed for the sake of mining. Many mining companies are operating in the area to mine stone and dolomite for construction. The mining companies obtain permission from the Energy Ministry and also from the Environment Ministry if the mining site is located in a forested area. Officials from Istanbul’s Forestry Directorate said if permission was granted from the Energy Ministry, they were legally bound to grant approval, too.

"There is nothing illegal here. If the mining company has permission, we carry out the felling in the designated area," an official said.

Logs stacked on both sides of the road
The pine trees, a few hundred meters from Ayazağa Cemetery, are being cut by teams from the provincial Forestry Directorate within the scope of the granted permissions. On one side of the field there are machines digging mines and on the other are hundreds of cut logs. The smaller logs are stacked on both sides of the road awaiting transportation. While officials from the provincial Forestry Directorate did not specify the exact number of trees being cut down, they indicated the wood was to be sold through a bidding process and used in the manufacture of products, such as furniture or floors.

An official from the directorate, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the companies that operated in the area were Akdağlar Madencilik, İslamoğlu Madencilik and Kabızoğlu Madencilik. Eyüp Akdağ, the board chairman for Akdağlar Madencilik, is also the deputy president of corporate relations for the Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association, or MÜSİAD.

Akdağ is also the winner of the "entrepreneur of the year" award by Ekovitrin Magazine. The Web site of Akdağlar Madencilik also includes claims on how the firm cares about protecting the environment. The destruction of the forests in the area is best seen through aerial snaps.