By Azernews

By Yasemin Asan

Turkish Chamber of Forest Engineers' Chairman Hasan Turkyilmaz has said that Turkey ranks first in Europe and fourth in the world in terms of afforestation, Yeni Shafak has reported.

"In the ranking of countries with the most afforestation, we are first in Europe and fourth in the world. While forests covered 19.78 million hectares of Turkey's surface area 25-30 years ago, forests now cover 22.9 million hectares of land. It's not enough, but we're on the right track," Turkyilmaz stressed.

Turkyilmaz emphasized the importance of afforestation in mitigating the negative effects of climate change, noting that Turkey is a leader in this area.

He stated that while Turkey ranked 46 in the 1990s, it has risen to 27th place in the list of countries that have increased its forest assets.

Turkyilmaz went on to say that if the temperature in this basin rises by 2°C, Turkey, as a Mediterranean country, will face disasters such as forest fires, heatwaves, unexpected weather events, the loss of forest areas due to fire and drought, the weakening of biological diversity, and the immeasurable negative impact of these negative situations on humanity.

"In order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, we must increase afforestation and forest area. Turkey is in a good place right now," he said.

The chairman added that Article 169 of the Constitution states that "forest areas cannot be narrowed, transferred, owned, or sold," and that no other country in the world has a clause like that in its constitution.

In response to the Istanbul Canal project's impact on the environment, Turkyilmaz stated that they are closely monitoring it in all aspects and that such megaprojects will make significant contributions to Turkey's future position in the world.

"The Istanbul Canal is an important investment in achieving economic freedom and demonstrating the importance of being an independent country," he said.

Turkyilmaz stated that the Forestry Policies and Science Board (OBPK) was established as the Chamber of Forestry Engineers on important environmental and forestry issues affecting Turkey.

“The board consists of 10 people, including six academicians and four technocrats, who are experts in their fields. It explores a variety of topics, including forest fires, flood events, climate change, and the Istanbul Canal project. "We share the reports on the topics reviewed by our scientific committee with all of our state institutions, relevant stakeholder organizations, and the general public," he said.