Turkey removes 4,300 hectares of forest land from protected status

A series of presidential decrees has removed approximately 4,300 hectares of forest land from protected status across 27 provinces in Turkey, significantly impacting areas around Istanbul. In Istanbul, specific regions such as Beykoz (Paşamandıra and Dereseki) and Pendik (Ballıca) have seen forest boundaries redrawn to facilitate residential development, including villa gardens and roads near the Riva Stream and Ömerli Dam.

In Sarıyer, natural protected areas in Kumköy and Rumelifeneri have had their statuses changed to “Sustainable Protection and Controlled Use Areas,” while certain Treasury-owned wooded lands have been slated for privatization.

Legislative provisions, specifically Article 16 of the Forest Law, allow the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to reclassify land deemed unsuitable for forest preservation or suitable for settlement. Critics, including Yeni Party Manisa Deputy Ahmet Vehbi Bakırlıoğlu, have highlighted the tension between combating forest fires and the rapid declassification of land. Data indicates that while tens of thousands of hectares were lost to fires in 2025, thousands of additional hectares were removed from forest protection through 2/B and Article 16 regulations.