ŞIRNEX - Adnan Şenbayram, Co-Spokesperson of the Ecology Association Branch, warned that the geography of Şirnex will become completely barren if the tree cutting continues and called for support for the weekly statement and sapling planting campaign they will launch. 

 

In Şirnex (Şırnak), the areas where settlements were evacuated in the 1990s are becoming barren. For years, village guards have been destroying forests in a large area under the name of “security”. Gabar, Cûdî, Besta, Çilenimêja and Komatê regions are among the regions where trees are cut down. The wood obtained from the felling under military supervision is sold in different cities. Adnan Şenbayram, Co-Spokesperson of Mesopotamia Ecology Association Şirnex Branch, evaluated the ecological destruction in the city.  

 

 

Ecology Association Branch Co-Spokesperson Adnan Şenbayram

 

'ŞIRNEX IS THE CENTER OF ECOLOGICAL DESTRUCTION'

 

Şenbayram said that Şirnex has been identified as the “center of ecological destruction” and that the policy is intended to dehumanize the region. Şenbayram pointed out that the destruction in the city dates back to the 1990s, and said that the trees that were burned in that period regenerated after the 2000s. “Therefore, the policies of destruction have come to naught. As of 2018, especially in the Cûdî, Gabar and Besta regions of Şirnex, tree cutting has reached its peak. This time they started to destroy the trees from the root. By uprooting the tree, they aimed to prevent it from growing again” he said. 

 

Pointing out that forested areas were also targeted with oil activities and mines in Gabar, Şenbayram said: “Ecological destruction is not limited to tree cutting. There is a zinc mine in the Qileban (Uludere) district. Oil exploration activities continue in Gabar. The destruction of forested areas should not only be considered as ecological destruction. It also opens up profit and rent areas for capitalists. Şirnex has been chosen as a center of plunder and rent by being handed over to capitalists. There are many reasons for this; reasons such as the political inability of the governments to win politically, the policy of binding the Kurdish people to themselves.” 

 

'LIFE IS UNDER THREAT'

 

Şenbayram said that 8 percent of the forests in Şirnex have been destroyed, which has led to a decline in species. Pointing to the decline in agriculture and animal husbandry, Şenbayram said: “Şirnex may soon become a wasteland, a land without trees and forests. With the destruction of forests, water assets are also in danger. While the cutting down of trees opens up a rent-seeking area for some, it seriously threatens the people living here. We are now experiencing temperatures far above seasonal norms. The areas described as plateaus in Şirnex are uninhabitable in summer due to the heat. With the dams built for security reasons, water availability has decreased. Life is under threat, we need to see this destruction.” 

 

'LET'S FIGHT TOGETHER'

 

Şenbayram said that the actions and events organized against the plunder of nature were effective, and that they made long-term plans to prevent ecological plunder. Şenbayram contunied as follows: “In 2021, we organized the Cûdî march. With the march, tree cutting in Şirnex stopped for about a month. That march was an indication that this plunder could be stopped. However, since that day, plunder has started to show itself again. From now on, we will make statements every week until the ecological destruction stops. We will work to expose the destruction in Şirnex, Cizîr, Silopiya and Hezex. In the coming months we will launch a tree planting campaign in Şirnex. We will have many long-term projects and activities. We can only get somewhere if we struggle together. Our call to everyone who breathes in this city; if we want to live together under the shade of a tree, we need to prevent the cutting down of that tree. We have to fight together shoulder to shoulder.” 

 

MA / Mahmut Altıntaş