ECOLOGY

Latest News

• Hydroelectric power plants destroy Kurdistan’s environment 

  The chairman of the environmental association Çev-Der in the province of Van, Ali Kalçık, describes the dramatic consequences of the construction of hydroelectric power plants for the ecology in the region.
• Flooding kills 100 sheep in Ağrı 

  Heavy rainfall has flooded a pasture with sheep in a village in the province of Ağrı. About a hundred animals drowned.
• Agricultural cooperative in Tirbespiyê 

  Five years ago, four women founded an agricultural cooperative in Tirbespiyê. Today, forty women work there and the cooperative covers a large part of the demand for vegetables in the Northern Syrian region.
• UN: World could hit 1.5-degree warming threshold by 2024 

  The U.N. weather agency says the world could see average global temperatures rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average for the first time in the coming five years.
• Report reviews the dam construction policies in South Kurdistan 

  New Report by Save the Tigris on the Dam Construction Policies of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
• Heavy rainfall and flooding in Van 

  Heavy rain has flooded some regions of the Van province. In many places there were landslides and flooded fields.
• Water4Rojava campaign celebrates success beyond expectations 

  Despite the difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, solidarity with Rojava has continued and grown.
• Zilan Valley: A 90-year long history of destruction  

  The region of Zilan is among the richest when it comes to endemic plant and animal population.
• Villagers protest HPP project in Zilan Valley 

  Works at the Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Zilan Valley have resumed taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic, despite the decision of the Council of State which had ruled to stop the construction.
• 'The AKP destroys nature', says HDK on World Environment Day 

  The HDK called on everyone to “act and organise in order to build a new and more ecological life.”
• AKP mayor orders to cut down poplar trees in Edremit 

  The AKP mayor of Edremit ordered the cutting down of poplars in the region cleared under the pretext of increased allergies from the pollen.
• 13 percent of environmentalist activists end up dead, report says 

  The Environmental Justice (ENVjustice) scientists analyzed 2,743 cases of environmental conflicts from around the world.
• Water is not a weapon, water is life! 

  A new campaign named “Water for Rojava” has been launched two weeks ago aiming at rising funds to help women’s co-operatives and democratic local municipalities in Rojava and other parts of North-East Syria.
• Van Lake basin is being destroyed 

  There are dozens of HPPs (Hydroeletric Power Plant)  and dams on the Van Lake basin, which has a very diverse population. More than one HPP and dam has been built on almost every stream and water basin.
• Women demand an end to environmental destruction at Cudi 

  Activists of the women's movement TJA protested on Mount Cudi against the destruction of the tree population by village guards. The women demand: "Don't continue on this wrong path, don't become a tool of the dirty machinations of the government."
• DTK says HPP projects target Kurdish historical memory 

  In the massacre of the Zilan Valley on 13 July 1930, 15,000 people were killed according to official sources and 50,000 according to unofficial sources.
• Water For Rojava campaign launched today 

  A new campaign named Water for Rojava has been launched today aiming at rising funds to help funding women’s co-operatives and democratic local municipalities in Rojava and other parts of North-East Syria.
• Endangered European Roller sighted in Van 

  A European Roller has been sighted at Lake Erçek in Northern Kurdistan. This colourful bird was common in Europe for a long time, in Germany the species is extinct. The total population of the European Roller is currently classified as almost endangered.
• Hasankeyf: History sinks into water and garbage 

  While almost twelve thousand years of history sink into the water of the Ilisu Dam, large amounts of waste from the surrounding landfills are floating in the water, threatening both the environment and people.
• The beauty of spring in Kurdistan 

  The beauty of the spring in Kurdistan with the colourfulness in the mountains and the clear water springs offers a breathtaking picture that surprises every year anew.
• Turkish state wreaks havoc on Zilan Valley 

  The AKP-MHP government continues its steps to destroy and depopulate the Kurdistan territory.
• Hundreds of trees planted in Qamishlo 

  The ecological reconstruction in Rojava continues.
• Four thousand olive trees planted in Tirbespiyê 

  The ecological reconstruction in Rojava continues. In the north of Tirbespiyê 4,000 olive trees were planted as part of a greening project.
• Wild vegetables from the Kurdish mountains 

  In the mountains of Kurdistan different kinds of edible plants grow in spring. For many people they are their livelihood.
• Women make Raqqa green 

  Women are leading the campaign to make Raqqa green.