Political parties in a group in the parliament will present their views on the tree cutting going on in Akbelen.

Yeniköy Enerji, a private company, is trying to increase its capacity without an environmental impact assessment report on a lignite mine which was transferred to the private sector in 2014. The company is planning a deforestation campaign on the 600 acres of natural red pine forest in Akbelen, Ikizköy region to be allocated to the mine. Residents applied to the court.

Muğla 1st Administrative Court ruled in August 2021 that no further clearance could take place until it has ruled on the lawsuit. But in November 2022 a report from court-appointed experts found that the forest was suitable for mining, and so the temporary halt to tree cutting was lifted.

Over the past 35 years, eight villages have been cleared for coal mines to supply the plants, according to a report by the NGO Climate Action Network Europe.

Campaigners fighting to protect the woodlands earmarked for coal-mining said they will continue their fight against tree-felling.

Environmental activists set up a resistance camp, but the situation escalated when the police used water canons and pepper spray to curb the protests.

Resistance to the deforestation plans is nothing new. Locals have held a four-year vigil in Akbelen forest, and when chainsaw teams eventually arrived to start felling trees, the police, dispatched to guard the operation, violently attacked villagers.

Muğla 1st Administrative Court ruled in August 2021 that no further clearance could take place until it has ruled on the lawsuit. But in November 2022, a report from court-appointed experts found that the forest was suitable for mining, and so the temporary halt to tree cutting was lifted.

YK Energy didn’t move in straight away, however. This week marks the start of renewed clearance work, and locals are now amplifying their call for the court to reinstate a temporary ban until the lawsuit is concluded.

In Milas and Yatağan in Muğla province, there are three coal-fired power plants along with open-pit coal mines that supply fuel for these facilities. Moreover, new coal mines are being established and existing ones expanded. The active presence of coal-fired power plants in the region, coupled with the ongoing expansion of coal mines, is creating high levels of air and water pollution, degrading forested lands, and causing forced displacement of local residents.

Two coal-fired power plants in Milas have had a dramatic detrimental impact on the region. The Kemerköy Thermal Power Plant, operating for 30 years, and the Yeniköy Thermal Power Plant, operating for 37 years, have taken a serious toll on both residents and the natural environment.

Coal is changing the topography of Milas

Open-pit lignite coal mining is carried out over approximately 5.000 hectares of land in Milas and Yatağan, causing great damage to the ecosystem and biological diversity. The resulting change in topography not only destroys fertile agricultural soil but also triggers the risk of soil erosion.

Coal causes water pollution and water shortages

Thermal power plants and coal mines are degrading the quality and quantity of underground and surface water sources in Milas. Digging coal mines destroys underground water resources, while thermal power plants use large volumes of water in the cooling process. In addition, both thermal power plants and coal mines pollute surface and underground waters with toxic substances by releasing wastewater, slag, and flue dust that contain heavy metals.

Coal destroys forests

The coal industry is damaging or completely destroying a constantly increasing amount of forest land in Milas and its surrounding region. More than half of the approximately 5.000 hectares of land where mine pits are operated in Milas and Yatağan is estimated to have been forest land.

In Milas, a total of 23.000 hectares of land have been allocated as a lignite coal mining permit zone.