Those destroying Kurdistan’s nature build “Erdogan Forest” in Van

In summer, forests in Kurdistan are systematically destroyed. The Turkish government is responsible for this, as it is also responsible for arson and clearing beyond the state borders in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq) and Rojava (northern Syria). In northeastern Syria, cultivated fields in particular are deliberately set on fire. In northern Iraq, the Turkish army acts as an occupying force, clearing large areas of forest and marketing them in Turkey last year. In other areas, slash-and-burn operations were carried out to deprive the guerrillas of shelter in the bare areas. Forests also frequently catch fire as a result of air strikes.

In Northern Kurdistan, the destruction of the forests also pursues economic and military purposes. In the meantime, the ruling parties AKP and MHP have taken to planting a few saplings in the Kurdish provinces with great propaganda and naming the green spaces after Turkish statesmen. The name “Recep Tayyip Erdogan” is particularly popular.

In Van, forest areas in the Zilan Valley region have been burned down in recent years. Power plants and dams have been built on the Zilan River, causing massive destruction of nature. An area has now been created in the district of Erciş, which has been named the “Recep Tayyip Erdogan Urban Forest.” The green space is located on an area where 3000-year-old cuneiform inscriptions from the Urartian Empire were found on rocks. These historical findings have been destroyed for the Erdogan Forest.

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