US embassy cable - 03ANKARA2712

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002712 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR EUR/PGI, EUR/SE, EB/CBED, OES/PCI 
 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, ENRG, TBIO, TU 
SUBJECT:  TURKISH ENVIRONMENT NGOS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT 
BLACK SEA THAN BTC 
 
 
1.  Summary.  Many of the 30 Turkish NGOs and other 
organizations participating in a recent UNDP meeting in 
Ankara expressed concern over the Black Sea coastal 
environment, their limited participation in environmental 
management, and several proposed environmental laws and 
regulations.  They expressed no concern about the BTC 
pipeline but plan to track its construction closely.  End 
Summary. 
 
 
2.  About 80 representatives of 30 NGOs, foundations, 
associations and other organizations from across the country 
participated in a UNDP meeting (4/12- 13) to review 77 small 
grants funded through the Global Environmental Facility 
(GEF) and UNDP.  Most of the NGOs operate on a local rather 
than national level.  They are currently implementing 34 GEF 
projects totaling $800,000 that address a host of issues, 
from the creation of an eNetwork to research on birds to the 
development of environmental plans. 
 
 
GREATEST CONCERN: BLACK SEA COASTAL ENVIRONMENT 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
3. The NGOs expressed greatest concern about the general 
environment of the Black Sea coastal region and the 
proliferation of polluting sources.  Despite research that 
finds a decrease in rates of pollution, representatives of 
the Black Sea Environmentalists Association (KARCEV) and the 
Turkish Environmental Protection and Woodlands Association 
(TURCEK) believe otherwise based on: 
 
 
-- the emergence of a new "hot spot" (point source of 
pollution) near Samsun created by a mobile power plant that 
uses 1,000 tons daily of fuel oil #6, a particularly heavy 
and potentially environmentally damaging oil. 
 
 
-- leakage from improperly disposed of hazardous waste on 
Sinop's shores that increases cancer risk; 
 
 
-- the continual improper disposal of domestic wastewater in 
Trabzon, a municipality unable to design a much-needed deep- 
sea discharge facility for its domestic wastewater; 
 
 
-- degradation and erosion of the land and sea ecology of 
the East Black Sea coastline due to the construction of a 
shore-hugging motorway. 
 
 
OF LITTLE CURRENT CONCERN: BTC 
------------------------------ 
4.  The 20 participants we spoke with -- without exception - 
- expressed no immediate concerns about BTC.  In fact, they 
characterize the project as "beneficial to the whole 
region."  However, the NGOs will monitor construction 
closely to determine if they will need to take future 
action.  None of the NGOs at the meeting are located along 
the pipeline route. (Comment.  Local NGOs are unfamiliar 
with the EIA format for projects that are internationally 
funded, such as BTC.  They are more familiar with the 
simpler format that the Ministry of Environment (MOE) 
requires for domestically funded projects. End comment.) 
 
 
OTHER NGO CONCERNS 
------------------ 
5.  Limited Participation in Environmental Projects.  As an 
example of the limited role that NGOs play in major 
environmental projects, an Istanbul based NGO, the Hunting 
and Wildlife Protection, Development and Promotion 
Association, cited the $20-million World Bank/GEF 
Biodiversity and Resource Management Project.  The project 
is being implemented in Kayseri, Antalya, Artvin, and 
Kirklareli/Igneada but is managed centrally out of Ankara's 
Ministry of Forestry (MOF).  Midway through the six-year 
project, only national level NGOs, such as WWF and the 
Turkish Foundation for Combatting Soil Erosion, for 
Reforestation and for the Protection of Natural Habitats 
(TEMA) have been involved. 
 
 
6.  Proposed Laws Pending in Parliament.  Turkey's 
environmental NGO community is concerned that several 
proposed amendments to existing laws -- specifically, the 
mining law and tourist area laws -- may relax environmental 
standards in sensitive areas.  NGOs are also concerned that 
a proposed amendment regarding the sale of forest areas 
could deflect their efforts to purchase and protect that 
land from development or further degradation. 
 
 
7.  Lack of Effectiveness of the Civil Society. The MOF and 
MOE are developing Turkey's first biodiversity strategy but 
only three NGOs are actively engaged in the process: WWF; 
the Rural Environment and Forestry Problems Research 
Association (KIRCEV), and TEMA.  Some NGOs simply decline to 
participate in the development of new strategies or to 
comment on proposed laws based on past experiences in which 
their voices are not heard.  Others learn of new issues too 
late to participate.  The result is an ineffective 
environmental civil society. 
 
 
PEARSON