The Botan region has been under massive ecological pressure for years. Forests are being cleared, mines are digging into the mountains, watercourses are drying up—accompanied by a steadily growing military presence. The consequences affect both people and nature alike: rising temperatures, declining water quality, dwindling livelihoods.
In response to this development, the Şırnak Ecology Platform, together with regional initiatives, has announced a two-day protest march and vigil in Besta. The action will begin on September 9 with a rally in downtown Şırnak and end on September 10 with a symbolic vigil in nature.
‘Protecting these trees is our shared responsibility’
“Overexploitation continues unabated—with consequences for the entire region,” says Ahmet Başak, member of the Ecology Platform. The impact is particularly profound in Besta, Cudi, and Gabar: “Where villages once stood and people farmed, today only ruins and dry earth remain.”
Above all, the combination of environmental destruction and restrictions on movement is placing a strain on the rural population. Special security zones are repeatedly being declared and access bans imposed, preventing people from using their fields and pastures. Many are being forced to leave their homes.
“When forests fall, animals, water, and soil fertility also disappear,” says Başak. “What remains is heat, dust, and poverty.”
Protest camp as a sign of resistance
The protest will begin at 1 p.m. on September 9 with a statement at Cumhuriyet Square in Şırnak. This will be followed by a march to the outskirts of the city, from where participants will travel by vehicle to the Besta region. A night vigil will begin there at 4 p.m. and continue until the next morning. The protest will be accompanied by supporters from surrounding cities. Local families will also participate, with women baking bread and organizing supplies.
Livelihoods are disappearing
Başak describes developments in recent years as a continuous deterioration: “For at least five years, clearing has been going on here without interruption. At the same time, access to land is restricted by security measures. Where people can no longer keep animals or grow fruit, eventually there will be no life left.”
Many fields have already been abandoned in villages around Cudi. Water sources are drying up and traditional forms of agriculture are disappearing. Older people who are unable to move away are particularly affected, explains Başak.
Appeal: Stop looking away
The organizers see their action not only as a local protest, but as part of a larger debate on environmental justice and democratic participation. “When forests burn elsewhere, there is a lot of attention. When forests are deliberately cut down here, there is silence,” says Başak.
He calls for a broad social debate on environmental destruction, structural inequalities, and political responsibility. The message of the upcoming protest is clear: “The destruction of nature is not a local footnote—it is a challenge for society as a whole.”