A 'tourism' blow to Madam Martha Bay: Island residents are worried

The area containing Madam Martha Bay, located in Burgazada in Istanbul's Adalar district and designated as a 1st-degree protected area, is once again being put up for lease through a public tender process.

Madam Martha Bay, located in Burgazada in Istanbul's Adalar district, which is a 1st-degree protected area and was previously put up for tender in 2019 and 2021 to be transferred to private individuals, will be opened for leasing through an 'open tender' process conducted by the General Directorate of Foundations. The tender will take place on Wednesday, May 8, at 10:00 AM. The estimated value of the tender has been announced as 150,000 TL per month.

INTERFERENCE WITH THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO USE THE COAST

According to the report by Yaprak Akbaba from Artı Gerçek, the bay was transferred to the Silahtarağa Foundation in 2006 in exchange for another piece of land belonging to the Treasury on the island, thus coming under the control of the General Directorate of Foundations. The total 56-decare plot of land, which includes Martha Bay, covers a very large area extending from the bay to Kalkapazankaya. The tourism license to be obtained following applications for the land will cause this region to become open to tourist businesses.

ISLAND RESIDENTS ARE WORRIED

As of today, the General Directorate of Foundations has announced a public tender, handing the bay over for private use. The tender will take place on Wednesday, May 8, at 10:00 AM.

According to the tender notice on the General Directorate of Foundations' website, the usage type for the 56,000-square-meter area covering Martha Bay is specified as 'land and land with special conditions (2 derelict structures).' The estimated value of the tender is announced as 150,000 TL per month. The property, registered as block 79, parcel 6, will be leased in the tender to be held on May 8. The temporary guarantee amount for the tender is 414,000 TL.

The transfer of the approximately 56-decare land, which includes Martha Bay, to private individuals, the deprivation of the public's right to use the coast, its conversion into a paid facility, and the destruction of natural and cultural life are worrying the island's residents.

LEGAL PROCESS TO BEGIN

The Martha Bay Solidarity, a civil initiative formed by Burgazada residents to protect the bay, which has a unique position in Istanbul due to its natural structure, is initiating efforts to have the tender cancelled. Lawyer Can Bıçakcı, whom we consulted on the matter, announced that they would initiate the necessary legal process for the cancellation of the tender.

MINISTRY LOWERED PROTECTION STATUS, IMM SUPPORTED

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) had previously made a statement regarding the zoning plan prepared by the IMM and the Adalar Municipality, and approved by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. The IMM stated that the status of the protected areas opened for zoning had been lowered by the Ministry. According to the zoning plans, it is planned to build residential areas and daily facility areas in places in Burgazada where the protection status has been lowered.

FIRST STEP TAKEN IN 2019

In 2019, the bay, which is almost the only area in Istanbul where the public can swim and camp for free in Burgazada, was transferred to private individuals through a tender held by the General Directorate of Foundations, and the first step was taken to open one of the most important regions of Burgazada in terms of its natural life and cultural memory to tourism businesses.

Again in 2021, a tender notice was opened for Martha Bay through the open tender method, but it was cancelled following public outcry after it appeared in the press.

WHY IS MARTHA BAY IMPORTANT?

Madam Martha Bay is an area with natural wealth, possessing some of the most important seagrass meadows near Istanbul. Seagrass meadows are of great importance for the marine ecosystem: they produce oxygen, prevent coastal erosion, prevent particles suspended in the water, and increase the light permeability of the water. Dr. Cem Dalyan, a faculty member at Istanbul University's Department of Biology, Division of Hydrobiology, says, "Almost all life begins with this."

Dalyan expresses the following:

"The seagrass meadows in Martha Bay are important in many respects. First of all, they create a nursery area for fish fry. Because living things need such sheltered environments to be able to reproduce and sustain themselves. Also, after a depth of 5-6 meters in Martha Bay, there are small stones spread over the sandy bottom. These are a magnificent habitat, especially for invertebrate species that like to live in between them. And it is as if something like this was done: someone came to Martha Bay, said how could the sea be more beautiful, sat down and thought, and implemented it below. For this reason, Martha Bay must be taken under protection immediately. Otherwise, we will lose a large part of our biodiversity very soon."

WHAT DOES THE COASTAL LAW SAY?

According to Coastal Law No. 3621, there are the following regulations regarding the public's ability to use the coasts:

Article 5 – Coasts are under the sovereignty and disposal of the State. Coasts are open to equal and free use by everyone; public interest is primarily considered in the use of coasts and coastal strips. It is mandatory to determine the coastal boundary line in order to carry out planning and implementation on the coast and coastal strip. In regions where the coastal boundary line has not been determined, it is mandatory to determine the coastal boundary line within three months following the date of the request. Structures to be built on coastal strips can approach the coastal boundary line by a maximum of 50 meters.

Article 6 – The coast is open to equal and free use by everyone, and no structures can be built on them; obstacles such as walls, fences, railings, wire mesh, ditches, stakes, and similar barriers cannot be created.

Article 15 – Those who create obstacles such as walls, fences, railings, wire mesh, ditches, stakes, and similar barriers on the coast and coastal strips with implementation zoning plans are fined with an administrative fine from 2,000 Turkish Liras to 10,000 Turkish Liras. In addition, it is decided that the created obstacles be removed within a period determined not to exceed five days. If the obstacles are not removed by the relevant parties within this period, they are immediately removed by using public force, with the cost to be collected from them, including a 20 percent surcharge, according to the procedure for the collection of public receivables. In case of repetition of the offense, the penalty is given at the upper limit.