New Threat to Northern Forests: Railway Project

Northern Forests are the new target of the AKP government. The railway project of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure is planned to be 127 km long and with an investment cost of 240 billion TL. The project will affect 12 districts of Istanbul and Kocaeli. According to the EIA report, the project will be effective on an area of ​​approximately 281.7 hectares and it is anticipated that between 24 thousand 721 and 44 thousand 994 trees will be cut. Experts and life advocates warn that the project will fragment forests, create pressure on water basins and move construction to the north. TMMOB Istanbul Provincial Coordination Board criticizes that the project is not included in the upper-scale environmental plan dated 2009.