Collect Your Garbage! vol.2

 

 

Collect Your Garbage!

benim adım belgrad

Benim adım belgrad.

My name is Belgrad.

There was a protest today for destruction of forests, in Sarıyer, Istanbul.

Next protest: 22 December, Kadıköy.


http://www.radikal.com.tr/fotogaleri/hayat/benim_adim_belgrad-1163885

Some information about Belgrade Forest.

- The archaeological work done in Belgrade Forest shows since Mesolithic Period the forest attracts humans.


- Since AD fifth century forest protected for supplying healthy water. In Byzantine a human need to pay 453,5 gram for each 28,3 g water stolen. 

-Byzantine Empire period the forest become very important , and it took the task of “supplying water”.

-In Ottoman Period water not only seen daily requirement, it’s also seen as an element which is necessary for doing religion’s requirement.

-In 1570 II. Selim forbid to building any building for 5 m meters wide near to the waterways.

-A foreign visitor Walter Colton (preacher) said” Damaging any bent or taking water from in it or hurting any tree is enough reason for hanging for a man.”

A British historian Miss Julia Pardoe said “ The Aqueducts bring the definition  “wild” to the Belgrade forest “noble”.

-By the time it was realized the villages and the activities which is done near the Belgrade, was pollute the water sources and it causes epidemic. After that the Belgrade village and a part of Bahçeköy village is evacuated.

Belgrade Forest has 400 plant, 146 bird, 56 butterfly and hundreds of mushroom species.

There is 450 different bird species in Turkey. Belgrade has 146 of it. Some of them are Hobby, Quail, Barn Owl, King Fisher, Cuckoo, Coot, Bee-eater, Short toed Eagle, Pheasant, Hawk, Sparrow Hawk.

There is three main stream in Belgrad. The biggest and the most important one is Kurtkemeri which is in the West. Kuru Stream is in the middle of the Forest. And there is Şeytan stream in the east. This streams is supported many streams. The aqueducts used to carry water from the Belgrade forest to city.

-In 1953 Belgrade became “Conservation Forest”.

-Formerly Forest usually used by Non-Muslim citizens. By the time Istanbul lost a lot of picnic and resting areas. After that Belgrade became the only option for kind of actions.

 

 

Large Losses in History:

-By the unsupervised tree cutting  Belgrade Forest’s size decreased 13.000 to 7.500 hectare from 1822 to 1870.

-In 1826 Janissaries riot against the Sultan. After that they ran into Belgrade. For supressing the riot forest  encircled by fire and very huge area of the Forest vanished.

 

In 1914 a part of the Forest destroyed because of the railway which was between Silahtarağa Power Plant and lignite mines in the north.

 

 

 

  Today's problems:

Belgrade Forest became inadequate because of the facilities which was built for to satisfy increasing population and it is surrounding with concrete and becoming an island in concrete.

 

A work which was done in 2010 states %60 of trees are ill which is near to the picnic areas and there is %65 soil compaction in the same areas.

-For the people which came to the forest for picnic, ground covered with  stones and it compacts the soil and blocks to tree’s roots air.

-Wires and fences are restrict wild animals areas and they can’t reach to water easily because of them.

Governments understandings had changed in years. In Ottoman period wood need is supplied from Anatolian part of the city despite there is a big forest which was near to the city. But today Third Bridge project threatens Belgrade.

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References: 

-Atlas Magazine (November,2013)
-www.santralistanbul.org
-istanbul.gov.tr
-www.birdwatchturkey.com