Mining Projects Threaten Aegean Agriculture
· GıdaTarım
Expanding mining sites and expedited expropriation decisions in the Aegean Region directly threaten centuries-old olive groves and fertile agricultural lands.
Mining Siege on Aegean Agriculture
Gold, copper, marble, and coal mining activities rapidly spreading across the Aegean Region are seriously threatening agricultural production and the ecological balance. Dr. Tevfik Türk, a Senior Agricultural Engineer and Deputy Provincial Chairman of the New Party in Izmir, drew attention to the danger in the region, emphasizing that unplanned and uncontrolled mining depletes water resources and creates heavy metal pollution:
"The Aegean is being surrendered to the bulldozers of mining companies, which are under the occupation of capital."
The felling of thousands of trees due to mining exploration and operation sites, following the Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette dated June 19, 2026, is making agricultural production in the region difficult.
Expedited Expropriation Pressure on Olive Groves
It has been reported that centuries-old olive groves and fertile lands in Muğla's Yatağan and Menteşe districts have been included in the scope of expedited expropriation for mining projects. Criticizing the legal dimension of the decision, Dr. Tevfik Türk stated that the guise of public interest, which should be used in extraordinary circumstances, has been transformed into a tool for dispossession, and said:
"Unfortunately, today, with the hand of the government, it has been transformed into a tool for dispossessing the Aegean villager who defends their land and olive groves. By clearly bypassing Law No. 3573 on the Protection of Olive Groves and Law No. 5403 on the Conservation of Soil and Land Use, centuries-old olive trees and agricultural areas are being handed over to the bulldozers of mining companies."
Risk of Destruction in the Küçük Menderes Basin
It was reported that the wave of destruction caused by mining licenses is not limited to Muğla but has also reached the Küçük Menderes Basin, which is the main food granary of the Aegean. Dr. Tevfik Türk, who stated that the mining sites intended to be opened along the Ödemiş and Beydağ line in Izmir, especially at the foothills of Bozdağ, are undermining agricultural sustainability, called for the protection of the fertile production areas in the basin. It was noted that uncontrolled mining exploration permits directly weaken the region's plant production potential.