Today’s featured image was taken by Steve Parsley.
Fethiye Times pick of the news from the local area and around Turkey.
Butterfly Valley conservation status recategorised to allow controlled construction
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological or cultural values.
Designated a First Degree Natural Conservation Site on February 8, 1995, any type of construction in Butterfly Valley is strictly prohibited by law and only temporary structures are allowed there.
This may be about to change as, according to press reports this week, Chamber of Architects Muğla Branch and Fethiye Representation stated that Butterfly Valley’s First Degree Natural Site status will be reduced. This will allow controlled construction in the area and jeopardise some of the most beautiful landscape along the coast.
The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization reduced the status of First Degree Natural Sites to Second and Third degrees in Muğla as a result of an “Ecological Based Scientific Report published in 2016.
The project, which was postponed due to public reaction at the time, started with the change in Gökova Bay and Okluk Bay and continues with Butterfly Valley.
In a statement to Fethiye Haber, Okyay Tirili, President of the Association for Combating Soil Erosion, Reforestation and Conservation of Nature said, “Even if construction is controlled, the ecological system will disappear. There are more than 80 butterfly species in the region, including the endemic orange, black and white Jersey Tiger and Kaplan butterflies. Construction in the area will lead to the irreversible destruction of this beautiful valley, its surroundings and natural life. In addition the area is very steep and rocky and there is no sewage treatment system. Butterfly Valley should remain as a natural site”
Sources: Fethiye Haber/Hurriyet Daily News
Cargo ship runs aground for the second time in a week
A cargo ship ran aground off the harbour mouth in Fethiye on Thursday. The Maltese-flagged 130-meter-long ship ‘Mehmet Bey’ ran aground after maneuvering to avoid hitting a fishing boat without a light.
Coast Guard teams were directed to the area. The captain of the ship reported that there were no requests for assistance, but that the Coast Guard General Directorate and Coast Guard teams were standing by.
The unfortunate ship had also previously run aground in Greek waters on August 2 whilst fixing mechanical problems.
Source: Maritime Bulletin
Alim Karaca; “We must unanimously solve the problem in the Gulf of Fethiye”
CHP Mugla Deputy Suleyman Girgin and Fethiye ayor Alim Karaca held a press conference earlier in the week to call for all institutions, irrelevant of political affiliations, to come together to resolve the problem of the algal bloom in Fethiye Bay.
During the conference Girgin said “Our goal is not to discredit anyone but to ensure the problem is solved. We have met with the Minister of Environment and Urbanisation who stated that they will start cleaning the Gulf of Fethiye”
Environment and Urban Planning Minister, Murat Kurum, had pledged to clean up the Gulf of Fethiye during a visit in March this year.
During the visit Kurum said, “Unfortunately, Fethiye Bay is in a very bad condition, and we have made our findings here. We will launch a 250 million pound project to clean the Gulf of Fethiye.”
Kurum likened it to the Golden Horn, a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul. He said “The Golden Horn was in a worse condition that the Gulf of Fethiye. The government has cleaned the the Golden Horn and today it has become a place where fish can see and breathe. We will do the same in Fethiye”
The cleaning had been scheduled to start on April 1 2019.
During the press conference this week, Fethiye Mayor Alim Karaca said, “Fethiye is one of the most beautiful spots in the world and tourism is the source of livelihood of thousands of businesses in the area. This problem needs to be solved hand in hand without making any political distinctions”.
Sources: Son Dakika/Haber Turk
35 forest and countryside fires in one day in Turkey
The Forestry Directorate called on citizens to be more aware of fire safety after 35 forest and countryside fires broke out across Turkey on Wednesday (7 August).
Firefighters contained two forest fires threatening residential areas in southwestern Muğla and Mediterranean Antalya provinces.
A fire in Muğla’s resort town of Bodrum started at around 2:15 am on Wednesday and was contained after five hours of firefighting efforts.
The General Directorate of Forestry said in a statement later in the day, “During the first response to the fire, Bayır neighborhood was evacuated on an order from the governorship of Muğla as a precautionary measure. The spread of the blaze towards Bayır neighborhood was prevented with an intense struggle. No casualties were reported, but a forestland of 50 hectares was damaged”
30 hectares of forest was also damaged in another forest fire, which broke out late on the same day in Antalya’s Manavgat district.
“Twenty-one sprinklers, four excavators, four water tanks, seven first-response vehicles, 12 technical personnel and 105 firefighters were involved in the response to the fire,” said Vedat Dikici, head of the Regional Forest Directorate. An olive grove was damaged by the blaze, which was brought under control early in the morning of Aug. 8.
“The flames were stopped some 600 meters away from my home. If there wasn’t a proper response, they could have spread to houses,” said Süleyman Kiraz, a local in the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, 19 smaller forest fires and 14 countryside blazes broke out on the same day, according to the General Directorate of Forestry.
“There was no loss of life or property. We express our sadness on the loss of plants and wildlife on the burned up lands,” they said.
The Forestry Directorate called on citizens to be more aware of fire safety and call the hotline 177 immediately in case of a blaze.
Source: Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey takes Zero Waste movement to next level
Initiated in 2017 and championed by first lady Emine Erdoğan, the Zero Waste movement in Turkey is continuing to grow and spread to every segment of life. In order to leave a better future for our children, people from seven to 70 are cutting down on plastic use and giving priority to recycling.
Now the movement has spread to summer festivals organised across the country. The Kapıkayafest International Nature Sports and Culture Festival which took place between July 24 and July 28, became the first festival where Zero Waste principles were applied. Organized in Samsun’s Kapıkaya in the Black Sea region, the festival featured Zero Waste stands with information about recycling areas and waste collection areas in various parts of the festival site. To inform festival goers and supervise the Zero Waste activities in the festival area, there was an environmental engineer and a total of 10 waste collection personnel.
During the festival, 9,380 kilograms of recyclable waste and 2,800 kilograms of domestic waste was collected.
Zero Waste during Hajj
The Turkish pilgrims who go to Mecca to perform their Hajj duties will also adapt a Zero Waste philosophy thanks to the project carried out by Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet). The project, called “Zero Waste, Zero Loss,” aims to inform the pilgrims about the importance of environmental sustainability and encourage them to leave as little waste as possible and recycle the waste they produce.
Speaking to the press in Mecca, the President of Diyanet, professor Ali Erbaş, said that they have published leaflets and books on Zero Waste Movement.
“During Hajj rituals, the garbage left presents an unpleasant sight. We cannot live today without thinking about the future. Muslims have a duty to leave a livable future for the next generations,” professor Erbaş added.
Source: Daily Sabah
SPORT
Thank you to Brian Lloyd for the Fethiyespor updates
Fethiyespor lost their pre-season match against Yozgatspor. The final score was 1-2.
They also lost their final pre-season match against Manisa FK. The score was 1-2.
Transfers continue as Fethiyespor signed a two-year contract with 23 year-old left-back, Hüseyin Rüzgar from Osmaniye FK.
For more information about Fethiyespor please visit Fethiyespor Yabancilar on Facebook.
Turkish Lira (TL) exchange rates
The British Pound bought 6.61 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 6.76 TL.
The US Dollar bought 5.49 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 5.55 TL.
The Euro bought 6.21 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 6.18 TL.
ISource: FxexchangeRate.com
Weather Forecast
Here’s your weather forecast for the week ahead.
Source: Living Earth
The post Fethiye Times News – Week Ending 10 August 2019 appeared first on Fethiye Times.