Does Turkey really care about the environment?

Turkey might care about the environment, but not that much
Friday, June 6, 2008
ÇINAR KİPERISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News

Turks may be more environmentally conscious than they once were, but the nation's environmental organizations still lag woefully behind their counterparts in the civil society sector, suggests a recent report by a leading Turkish university.

A report by Bahçeşehir University, which details the recent rise of environmental nongovernmental organizations in Turkey and notes their relatively small number compared to other Turkish civil society organizations, has shed light on the state of Turkish environmentalism just prior to World Environment Day, celebrated Wednesday around the world and in Turkey.

The report by Assistant Professor Hande Paker and researcher Barış Gençer Baykan, titled “Environment and Civil Society in Turkey: Organization and Latest Activities,” revealed that environmental NGOs in Turkey have tripled in the last 12 years alone but still make up only 0.7 percent of the total number of NGOs in the country.

Doğa's communications coordinator, Yeşim Erbaşol, spoke to the Turkish Daily News on Wednesday about the difficulties NGOs face. "Our greatest problem is getting volunteers and support. Almost all of our support comes from abroad, and the private sector has been offering support for only the past couple years."

Ümit Yaşar Gürses, chairman of the board of directors for the Turkish Foundation for Reforestation, Protection of Natural Habitats and Combating of Soil Erosion (TEMA), told the TDN that his organization considers itself fortunate to have enough support, but attributed the difficulties faced by many NGOs to inadequate government support. "Governments, which tend not to like what environmental organizations have to say, present many obstacles," he said.

The report identifies 19 environmental NGOs established between 1924-1980; 35 between 1981-1990; 82 between 1991-1995; and 439 between 1995-2007. This means that of the 575 currently active NGOs, 76 percent were established in the past 12 years alone.

"The drought last year played a huge role in raising awareness both within the public and the private sector. As our speed of consumption increases, it is only natural that awareness would also increase," said Erbaşol.

Gürses, on the other hand, is skeptical about the purported growing environmental conscience. "Many people might say that they are concerned with the environment, but they are still lacking in practice,” said Gürses. As for the rise in the number of environmental organizations, Gürses felt that the number might have increased, but that very few of the organizations are actually having an effect.

Uygar Özesmi, director general of Greenpeace Mediterranean, disagreed, saying, "It is the small local organizations that are most effective in protecting the environment."

Özesmi traced the success of these organizations to two relatively recent developments: The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, established in Turkey in 1994 by the U.N.'s development body, and the Civil Society Development Center, which provide many NGOs, including environmental ones, with funding from the European Union. "The recent developments in Turkey have been an overlooked success," Özesmi added.

According to the Turkish Department of Associations, there are 78,608 active NGOs operating in the country in total, of which only 0.7 percent have an environmental agenda. Divided by region, the greatest numbers of organizations are found in the Central Anatolian and Marmara regions, with 158 and 127 organization respectively, and the fewest are found in the eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions, with 32 and 19 respectively.

Asked what would have to change to strengthen the role of NGOs, Özesmi told the TDN that civil society must be seen as a part of the democratic system and not as an extension of the government, and that the education system must change to foster creativity and strengthen individual involvement.

The report also found gaps in the environmental issues covered by the organizations, with many organizations dealing with protection, forestry, erosion, and coastal regions and very few with mining or nuclear energy. The report postulated that this was due to a popular conception that the latter areas are under government supervision and that the government hadn't made these fields accessible for NGOs, a sentiment echoed by Gürses.

The report added, "When considering that relevant ministries and official organizations have been more involved with increasing public awareness regarding protection and forestry/erosion, these fields have a greater legitimacy. The focus on protection in particular is a consequence of foreign and domestic funds pouring in and environmental management programs."

http://turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106496