Turkey implements new wetland protection regulations

Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has enacted new amendments to the Regulation on the Protection of Wetlands, published in the Official Gazette. The new rules mandate that permits must be obtained to extract water from wetlands or the rivers and streams that feed them.

A key provision requires energy, irrigation, and drinking water structures located on wetlands or seasonal rivers to release a specific amount of environmental flow into the riverbed. This amount, calculated by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, must not fall below the minimum levels established in the regulation to ensure the continuity of downstream ecosystems.

The regulation also impacts agricultural activities. In private parcels within designated wetland protection zones, activities such as organic farming and seaweed production will require permission and the presentation of organic production certificates. Furthermore, no new agricultural areas can be opened once protection zones are declared, though existing public land agricultural activities may continue until the end of their current lease periods.

In regions like Trabzon, which hosts approximately 50 hydroelectric power plants (HES), these changes are particularly significant. Existing private sector facilities must obtain necessary permits within a two-year period to comply with the new environmental flow requirements.