'Suspicious' fire before tender for forest area: To be leased as a park

Reporting on the developments regarding the fire, which was extinguished by public intervention, Yavuz shared the following:

Anıtlı villagers state that debris dumped on the road in the forest land began to burn, that the fire was brought under control by public intervention before it could grow too large, and that it was then extinguished by the fire department. It is unknown whether the fire was intentional, but the suspicions have not been dispelled.

Two days before the fire, we had brought the forest park tender in Anıtlı to the agenda and recalled the fires that had occurred in this region in the past. A fire breaking out in the forest land to be put up for tender two days after our warnings on the subject seemed like a harbinger of what is to come. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished before it could grow thanks to the initial intervention of the public. It is not right to insist on opening this region to construction as a forest park.

"PETITIONS WERE FILED WITH ALL INSTITUTIONS"

In June 2021, the then-headman Sunay Aslan and the council members objected to the development and leasing of the remaining forest land in Anıtlı for commercial operation, and filed petitions with all relevant institutions.

The protection of the forest was emphasized, and the cancellation of the initiative was requested. The justifications and the language used by the Anamur Forest Management Directorate in response to the villagers' objection petition for the protection of the forest are of a content that could be taught in public administration courses. The forest administration has fallen far behind the public in terms of protecting the forest and nature.

Despite the concerns of the villagers, the forest land was put up for tender on November 6, 2023, on the grounds that it would "contribute to tourism." The land, which was leased for an annual rent of 200,000 TL, will be put up for tender again on November 18, 2024. It is alleged that the previous operator forfeited their security deposit.

Although the forest administration thinks that there will be no problems in terms of nature conservation in this area, the cliffs on the Anıtlı coast are among the habitats of the endangered Mediterranean Monk Seals. The importance of these coasts is clearly emphasized in the action plan regarding the protection of the species.

The importance of areas that have been partially preserved, such as Anıtlı (Kaledran), located in the middle of the rocky coastline between Gazipaşa and Anamur, is much greater today.

News Source: 12punto