Protecting forests in Turkey

Mar 25, 2025Biodiversity, Climate Action, Inspiring initiative, Turkey

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Akbelen Collective, Turkey

The Akbelen Forest Solidarity collective in Turkey demonstrates how an environmental struggle to protect forests threatened by coal mining redefined public interest based on the rights of people to a healthy environment and to continue to make a sustainable living, and the right of future generations to inherit an undisturbed and unpolluted environment. This clashed with the state´s definition of public interest, which was based on the energy needs of industry and general use and could not prevent the forest from being destroyed. This case provides alternative perspectives on public interest that can also be relevant for other environmental struggles.

Even though the forest was eventually destroyed and the mining project expanded, this struggle strengthened the case for environmental rights as a principle for public interest. The Akbelen collective continues its forest watch right by the destroyed forest to continue documenting the environmental harm produced by the mine and provide support to other local anti-mining forest defence movements across the country.