The Kaz Mountains Are Running Out of Breath: 1 Million Trees and the Future of Çanakkale at Risk!

Çanakkale is one of the cities experiencing the most intense forest loss. It is currently in second place, but if it continues at this rate, it will reach the top. The Halilağa Copper and Gold Mine project, which is being expanded in Bayramiç, is bringing not only nature but also the villages in the region to the brink of extinction. As the project grows, the villages of Yanıklar, Hacıbekirler, Halilağa, Muratlar, Osmaniye, Yaylacık, and Söğütgediği will be directly affected. The most severe consequences await the villages of Hacıbekirler, Halilağa, and Muratlar, which are expected to be completely wiped off the map.

The environmental impacts are so serious that the project does not only extract ore; the waste containing no ore is piled up in massive "waste rock mountains," creating a risk of acid mine drainage. As these waste mountains come into contact with rain, they will seep into the soil and groundwater, spreading acidic and heavy metal-laden water into the environment. These toxins, which seep into the soil and drinking water, will threaten the natural life and livelihoods of the villages. The villagers are not only facing this threat but also the risks of the waste dam. The giant waste dam, where mine tailings will be stored, is only 730 meters from the center of Hacıbekirler village and 400 meters from the village border. In the event of a possible overflow or leak, it is obvious that the high-toxicity waste contained in the dam will rapidly contaminate the region. This means that the areas where villagers meet their vital needs will be completely at risk.

The tree felling planned in the Kaz Mountains is also on a scale that will upset the ecological balance. It is expected that 1 million trees will be cut down as part of the project. This means the destruction of not only nature but also Çanakkale's water resources. Because trees are one of the most important elements that feed underground water sources. The loss of 1 million trees will directly affect both the ecosystem and the climate balance of the region, and will drive the agricultural lands that the village people rely on for their livelihood into drought.

With the permits granted for this project, Çanakkale's rich ecosystem will suffer more and more damage. Mining projects that took place in the past in Çaldağı and İliç resulted in the contamination of water resources and the barrenness of agricultural lands as a result of acid drainage. The failure to provide sufficient support from the public at that time paved the way for what is happening in the Kaz Mountains today.

The EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) process for the Halilağa Copper Mine was initiated on August 10, 2020, and a positive EIA decision was issued on July 26, 2021. This project, which has a license area of 6,000 hectares, will consume 4.1 million cubic meters of water annually, an amount equivalent to the annual water consumption of more than 100,000 people. When the project is implemented, hundreds of thousands of trees will be cut down, and the wildlife and water structure in the region will be irreparably damaged. Turkey's agriculturally valuable areas such as the Karamenderes River, and the Bayramiç and Ezine plains will be negatively affected by this project. The region's geographically indicated agricultural products – Ezine Cheese, Bayramiç White Nectarine, Apples, Tahini Halva, and Olive Oil – may face permanent damage.

The lawsuits filed against the first positive EIA decision were won, and the Çanakkale Administrative Court and the Council of State canceled the permit granted to the project. However, the mining company used Circular 2009/7 to make minor additions to the EIA report and restarted the process, receiving a positive EIA decision again on March 14, 2023. In the expert discovery carried out as a result of the lawsuits filed, the experts determined that there is no public interest. New lawsuits were filed, but due to the restrictive effect of the circular, the plaintiffs did not get results. Currently, the file is waiting for appellate review at the Council of State.

Against these risks, an application was made to the Council of State with a request for a stay of execution. An urgent stay of execution decision is requested from the court; because tree felling has already begun based on the operating permit in violation of the law, without waiting for the decision of the Council of State. The cancellation of the positive EIA decision for this project, which has no public interest and will lead to ecological destruction, and which threatens the region's forest ecosystem, water assets, agricultural lands, and residential areas, is vital to prevent irreversible damage.

On one hand, nature is being destroyed, and on the other, the village people are left face-to-face with the risk of being displaced from their living spaces. While the only side that will win in Çanakkale is the big companies, the side that will lose is the entire ecosystem with its agriculture, water resources, and forests.

Let us listen to the last cry of the Kaz Mountains. If we do not protect these forests today, there will be no nature, no water source, and no green space left for our children to look at tomorrow. Will the legacy we leave to the future be just forgotten village names on maps, or the air we breathe and the water we drink? The Kaz Mountains are the breath of Çanakkale and Turkey. Protecting them is standing up for life.