A 'race of betrayal' in the Kaz Mountains: The Canadian left, a local firm took over! Destruction begins anew in Kirazlı

The Kaz Mountains, one of Turkey's most important oxygen reservoirs, are facing a new wave of occupation despite years of environmental struggle. The region, which breathed a sigh of relief after the cancellation of the Canadian firm Alamos Gold's license, is now surrounded by TÜMAD Mining, a subsidiary of Nurol Holding. In this new process carried out by "domestic and national" capital, heavy machinery has returned to the field.

CONTINUING WITHOUT AN EIA REPORT?

The site, which Alamos Gold vacated after its license was not renewed, was transferred to TÜMAD Mining in a controversial decision. The point that environmentalists and legal experts emphasize most is the allegation of illegality: It is claimed that work has begun without a new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process being conducted and without consulting the local population, despite the project's old EIA report having been cancelled.

A LEGACY OF ECOLOGICAL DESTRUCTION: 400 THOUSAND FELLED TREES

The region was etched into memory by the tree massacre carried out during the Alamos Gold era. In the Kirazlı site, where approximately 400 thousand trees were cut down and the integrity of the forest was completely destroyed, the return of heavy machinery has caused an uproar among environmental activists while nature was expected to heal its own wounds. Describing the events as an "era of plunder," nature advocates state the following:

"The foreign capital left, but the mentality did not change. While the forest ecosystem is on the brink of irreversible destruction, restarting mining activities in an area that should be rehabilitated is complicity in a massacre of nature."

THE GOVERNMENT IS SILENT ON REACTIONS, RESISTANCE IS DETERMINED

Silence prevails on the government front regarding vital warnings such as the deterioration of the ecosystem in the Kaz Mountains, the threat of cyanide to groundwater resources, and the destruction of wildlife.  

While the dust clouds rising in Kirazlı increase concerns about the future of the Kaz Mountains, the public is asking this question: Does the result change when nature is destroyed by domestic or foreign capital?

News Source: 12punto