The Van Ecology Association (EKO-DER) made a statement at the site where the trustee of Van (Wan) Metropolitan Municipality cut down trees in Newroz Park. At the gathering, which was attended by many people, a banner reading “War is the greatest ecological destruction” was displayed.
EKO-DER Van Branch Co-chair Dilek Akdağ said that dozens of trees had been cut down by the trustee administration under the pretext of “road widening,” and stated: “The trees in question were cut directly without any relocation process, without any scientific assessment, without any environmental impact analysis. An irreversible act of environmental destruction has been committed to provide greater profit for profiteering partisan contractors. Urban and infrastructure projects must be planned without harming nature and with environmental sensitivity. In such projects, protecting the trees or relocating them properly when necessary is both a legal obligation and an ethical responsibility. Cutting down trees without any assessment is unacceptable; this is a direct massacre of nature.
This incident does not only mean the destruction of trees but also the annihilation of the living spaces of birds, insects, and other creatures inhabiting the area. We condemn this trustee mentality that disregards the ecosystem under the pretext of urbanization and call on the Van Metropolitan Municipality to immediately halt these works and stop harming nature and the people. You cannot ignore society and nature. End the destruction of nature. We will not allow you, under the guise of service, to drive a single nail into any life, or even into a single vein of a plant. We will remain vigilant in this process. We will continue to defend the nature of Van, its trees, and all living beings.”