Forest Boundaries Redrawn in 27 Provinces

September 20, 2026 · gundemfethiye.com.tr

Approximately 43 million square meters of land in 27 provinces have been removed from forest boundaries by presidential decree, prompting opposition calls to halt the application of Article 16.

By a decision published in the Official Gazette on September 17, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, certain areas in 27 provinces have been removed from forest boundaries. The decision was made and entered into force based on Article 16 of Law No. 6831 on Forests. This regulation has reopened the legal status of areas that have lost their forest character or will be used for different purposes to public debate. Following the published decision, reactions from various political parties and environmental organizations were not delayed.

In line with Presidential Decree No. 11787 published in the Official Gazette, parcels in Afyonkarahisar, Ankara, Balıkesir, Bingöl, Bolu, Bursa, Çorum, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Eskişehir, Gümüşhane, Isparta, Istanbul, Karaman, Kayseri, Konya, Kütahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mersin, Muğla, Sinop, Sivas, Tokat, Trabzon, and Uşak were affected. It was determined that approximately 43 million square meters of land were moved out of forest boundaries in a single transaction. This large-scale step, covering a total of 27 provinces, constitutes a significant change in rural and forest land management.

DEM Party İzmir Deputy İbrahim Akın, in a statement on his social media account, stated that the authority granted to the Presidency should be revoked, saying:

Pointing to the need to protect forest resources, DEM Party İzmir Deputy İbrahim Akın criticized current forest policies:

Deputy İbrahim Akın recalled that over 53 million square meters of land have been removed from forest boundaries under Article 16 of the Forest Law since 2018. Stating that according to regulations, Treasury land at least double the size of the removed area must be allocated to the General Directorate of Forestry, Akın questioned the fate of these lands. Akın expressed that they expect clear answers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry regarding how much land in which province and district has been established as new forest in return for the removed lands.

Drawing attention to the data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Akın noted that the total afforestation in non-forest areas between 2021-2025 was approximately 3,192 hectares. DEM Party İzmir Deputy İbrahim Akın, arguing that there is no transparent data on whether this afforestation amount compensates for the areas lost due to Article 16 applications, highlighted the lack of oversight:

Article 16 of Law No. 6831 on Forests allows mining, road, and infrastructure facility activities to be carried out in state forests under certain conditions. Activities in critical ecosystems such as seed orchards, gene conservation areas, and productive forests require permission from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The law also regulates the preparation of areas to be rehabilitated for afforestation by municipalities or through tender. DEM Party İzmir Deputy İbrahim Akın made the following call:

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