The mountainous areas of Besta, Cûdî and Gabar in the Şirnak (Şirnex) region of southeast Turkey have been designated as ‘Special Security Zones’ by the state.
The ‘Special Security Zone’ (SSK) prevents civilians from accessing these areas. However, the restrictions don’t apply to extractive oil and mining companies. There are concerns that the region is being exploited by the Turkish Petroleum Joint Venture (TPAO), whose drilling is damaging biodiversity. The numbers of gazelles, mountain goats and other flora and fauna are decreasing every day.
According to the Ecology Platform of Şirnak, the natural diversity of this forested region is being destroyed. This devastation is being done for private profit, but justified in the name of security, they said.
The ecology of the region has also been damaged repeatedly by forest fires. People are prevented from extinguishing these fires because of the SSKs. The Turkish military, who have established many bases (or ‘karakols’) inside the SSKs, is widely believed to be systematically starting these fires. The deforestation of the region destroys potential cover for Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerillas, and paves the way for more corporate extraction of oil and minerals.
Adnan Şenbayram is part of the local Ecology Platform, a group which aims to protect the local environment, and to educate people locally about ecology. Adnan told Mezopotamya Agency that things got much worse after the end of the PKK’s period of negotiations with the Turkish state, and the intensified political repression that followed: “After 2015-2016 in Şırnak, there has been serious deforestation in the mountains of Cudi and Gabar”, he said.
“There is a policy of turning areas such as Cudi and Gabar into barren lands”, he continued.
Şenbayram said that TPAO prepares the ground for its oil wells with dynamite, with disastrous consequences for nature. “There’s no limit to the damage to the environment by the sand quarries there.”
Pointing out that that the global oil economy worsens inequality between the Global South and North, he argued: “oil extracted from Gabar isn’t just damaging that area. It also harms the people who live in the most extreme places in the world.”
Şenbayram warned that if the exploitation of Besta, Cûdî and Gabar continues unchecked, it will be devastating for the gazelle, who will be unable to breed. He called for life to be protected, instead of economic interests.
“We want alternative energy sources to use instead of oil” said Şenbayram, “The use of sustainable energy sources will ensure that these creatures do not become extinct, rather than just living in an oil-dependent society.”
“Let’s carry out a study to continue to live life. Let’s not live our lives for economic profit. Let’s look at the whole, let’s take living life as a basis. Let’s all fight together on this”, he concluded.
