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500 Thousand People Band Together for the Immortal Tree: "Don't Touch My Olive!"

The total number of signatures in the campaigns initiated by the Ikizköy Environment Committee and Aydın Şensal on the Change.org Turkey platform, in order to protect the trees and olive groves that have been tried to be zoned for mining with the law amendments made for years and that are under the threat of destruction, has exceeded 500 thousand.

Even though the "Regulation on the Amendment of the Mining Regulation" published in the Official Gazette on March 1, 2022, was contrary to the Olive Growing Law, the opening of olive groves to mines "on the condition that they will be rehabilitated later" caused a great reaction in the public. After a month passed, the first application of the regulation was tried to be made in Muğla. On March 31, 2022, 17 olives were removed from their places based on the regulation change to mine coal in the olive groves surrounding the Akbelen Forest in the İkizköy neighborhood of Muğla Milas. After the intervention of the locals, the tree removal was stopped and the company had to replant the uprooted trees the next day. However, there is no guarantee that most 90-100-year-old trees will regrow.

Both the olive grove owners and the experts emphasize that the execution of this regulation should be stopped immediately, otherwise the illegal cuttings will continue rapidly.

To support the Don't Touch My Olive signature campaign to cancel the regulation: change.org/ikizkoydireniyor

To support the signature campaign of İkizköy residents: change.org/zeytinimedokunma

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