Turkey resumes deforestation in Kurdistan Region: sources

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey has resumed cutting down trees in Duhok province months after they suspended the practice, according to local sources. Villagers have threatened to protest at Turkish military bases if the deforestation continues.

Photographs, taken in Hirore village on Sunday noon, sent to Rudaw English by a local official, show cut down trees and roadsides filled with logs. The person who took the photographs works closely with the contractors who cut down the trees but did not want to be identified.

“We are in contact with the governor and the photographs have been sent to higher places,” Reving Hirori, a member of Kurdistan Region’s parliament, told Rudaw English on Monday, adding that the deforestation “is a crime against the environment of Kurdistan.”

“Some people have come to our area from Uludere [district in Turkey’s Sirnak province] since last week. They have been cutting down trees excessively in Hirore,” the lawmaker said, warning that if no one stops these people, nearby areas could be next.

“I have spoken with the person [contractor] who is accused of cutting down the trees. He told me that it is not them who cut the trees but the Turkish army does it to warm themselves,” he added.

Reports about Turkey’s deforestation of the Kurdistan Region’s bordering areas in Duhok in May drew the ire of Kurds, who called for immediate suspension of the act. Turkey seemingly stopped the deforestation afterwards.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) expressed its “concern and dissatisfaction at the Turkish government’s deforestation and harm caused to the Kurdistan Region’s environment,” adding that it has “officially warned Turkey to cease deforestation at the border areas, which is unacceptable.”

The Turkish defense ministry said in late May that it shows “maximum sensitivity and attention” to civilians, the environment, and historical and cultural sites in their operations.

Sulaiman Omar, a member of Hirore village council, told Rudaw English on Monday that they have requested the KRG do something to stop the deforestation “or else we will hold protests against the MIT [National Intelligence Organization] base” in the area, referring to Turkey’s military bases there. He added that all villagers are ready for the protest.

Azad Azid, the mukhtar (chieftain) of Hirore, told Rudaw English on Monday that they have given the KRG a deadline that expires on Thursday and that if they do not receive good news they will go ahead with their demonstrations.

The MP said they have “evidence” that the trees have been sold in Turkey’s markets.

The deforestation earlier this year was linked to new roads the Turkish army built into the Kurdistan Region. 

Sheikh Mus Babat, a contractor who had been asked to clear paths for Turkish soldiers in Duhok, confirmed the deforestation to Rudaw in June, saying, “We have built a road at Haftanin that extends 74 kilometers into Iraq and another company has built a 38-kilometer road between Ashite village and the Kesta Mountains.”

“It is true the trees have been cut down, however it is only to provide heat for the Turkish soldiers,” he added. “The trees have not been sent to Turkish cities."

Wim Zwijnenburg, a conflict and environment analyst with the Dutch peace organization PAX, confirmed the deforestation on the border in a series of tweets at the time, providing satellite images of the area before and after the deforestation that he said showed extensive road construction. 

Looking at updated satellite imagery, he told Rudaw English on Tuesday, “Satellite analysis of region where these activities have taken place shows that road construction through forested areas north of Hirore started mid-June 2021. A quick and dirty calculation shows that a 15km long road was built since then, that could be linked with the anecdotal evidence of cut-down trees in this area."

The Kurdistan Region’s Forest Police and Environment Directorate told Rudaw last May that more than 4,000 dunams of land and green spaces had been burned by Turkish bombardments in Duhok province since January.