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Turkey's mining threatens ancient olive grove heritage

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Moritz Batscheider
November 4, 2025

The country's hunger for energy and raw materials is destroying ancient olive groves. Mining has already destroyed eight villages. Now, whole communities are fighting back.

In Ikizkoy, Turkey, Nejla Isik and her daughter Esra fight to save their village from expanding coal mining. The mine threatens centuries-old olive trees and ancestral land. Despite protests and arrests, locals resist new laws allowing mining in protected areas. Opposition politicians and environmental experts warn of irreversible damage. The struggle reflects Turkey’s broader conflict between energy policy and environmental preservation.

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