Juniper massacre on the TOROS!

Tuesday, October 19, 2021 2:07 PM
Why is juniper important to us? Our forests are the guarantee of the future of our country. I will try to explain what happened to juniper, which is an extremely valuable plant in terms of ecological value and cultivation.
Massacre of juniper in Toros!

teacher. Dr. Erkan Aktas

Juniper, which is also the insurance of our Anatolian steppe, is even more essential for the future of our country in our world where climate change is being felt because of their resistance to cold and drought. In addition to being resistant to climatic conditions, junipers provide good shelter and nutrients for wild animals with their dense needle structures and seeds with high nutritional value, and they are also an extremely important species for our country in the fight against erosion thanks to their widespread root. systems. Today, our forests should be one of our most important areas in the fight against global climate change.

Biomass power plants are growing rapidly

Rapid population growth and industrialization have driven the need for energy. One of the resources that can be used to provide energy in a sustainable way without causing environmental pollution is biomass energy.

For biomass, specially cultivated plants like corn, wheat, forest waste, grasses, algae, sea algae, animal droppings, manure and industrial waste, all organic waste (residues of fruits and vegetables) thrown from homes are the source.

Plants that produce electrical energy by burning plant, animal and organic waste are called biomass power plants. It is a kind of thermal power station. The energy produced from here is sold to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources for a certain royalty. So far everything is normal and even a pleasant situation in terms of clean energy sources. We know that such investments are made in Karaman and that solid waste is collected in the area.

There is a juniper massacre!

There is a serious claim for forest waste collected for biomass energy: I had heard about this problem before in Mut district of Mersin province, and now I have witnessed the struggle of ‘a group of nature friends in the Erdemli district of Mersin province (most likely, a similar situation can occur in all the Taurus mountains).

The situation is more than brutal and we see that a group of subcontractors shaves (kills) junipers for these plants. As such, legal action has been filed against the Regional Forestry Directorate and information has been transmitted to CIMER.

This question concerns all of our people. Someone needs to put this issue at the top of the agenda.

We have had enough of our lungs burned by forest fires. Now, forest areas have become targets for energy needs.

While the Taurus Mountains should be polished in terms of altitude tourism, the uncontrolled activities in this region present serious dangers.

How many forest products are processed by the biomass plant located in our region and how many are subject to control?

To what extent can the General Directorate of Forests inspect the areas it has tendered?

https://www.guneygazetesi.com/haber/20339/toroslarda-ardic-katliami.html