Ebru Çelik
Enabled by legal changes made by the government, mining companies have encircled every corner of the country. Through 2,372 tenders held in the last 3 years, 2,009,245 hectares have been handed over to mining companies.
A comprehensive analysis prepared by Polen Ekoloji Kolektifi based on data from the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs (MAPEG) shows that the country’s lands are under attack by a handful of companies. The licensing maps produced by the collective using MAPEG data show that agricultural land, water basins, pastures and forests are being handed over to capital.
2 MILLION HECTARES HANDED OVER
According to the study by Polen Ekoloji, since 2023 the number of new mining tenders has reached 2,372 while the number of permits sold stands at 1,032. The area opened for tender is larger than the surface area of Manisa at 1,374,140 hectares. The total area sold is 635,105 hectares, which is larger than the surface area of Tekirdağ.
AN EXTRACTIVIST REGIME HAS EMERGED
Levent Büyükbozkırlı, Umut Şener and Derya Sever from Polen Ekoloji underlined that energy and mining policies have become the exit strategy of capital from crisis, adding: “Policies meeting the demands of capitalist imperialist capital in Turkey have created a new extractivist regime marked by plunder, pillage and deaths across the whole country. This regime does not only cause environmental destruction; with brutal labour exploitation, village depopulation and threats to public health it also destroys social life.”
Environmental defenders noted that the omnibus law passed in July 2025, described as a “super permit law”, accelerated this process and added: “This law granted MAPEG unlimited powers. Capital is protected in crimes against nature. The future of people, soil and water is being discarded.”
Note: EXTRACTIVISM: an economic model based on the excessive and uncontrolled extraction of natural resources (minerals, oil, forests, water etc.) for economic gain, often causing environmental destruction and social inequality.
32,540 HECTARES OF PERMITS
In MAPEG tenders in 2023-2024-2025 the company receiving the largest permit area was Palye Madencilik with 32,540 hectares. Palye Madencilik was followed by Caymaz Madencilik with 26,739 hectares.
THE SCALE OF PLUNDER IS AS LARGE AS AMASYA
Levent Büyükbozkırlı explained the scale of destruction with figures. The data is as follows:
- The number of group 4 mega mines permitted in the last 3 years: 297 (598,000 hectares)
- The number of group 1 and 2 mines: 532 (67,000 hectares) Commenting on the table Büyükbozkırlı said: “In 3 years 598,000 hectares the size of 837 thousand football pitches have been destroyed by mining activities. These figures correspond to the entire surface area of Amasya. Where the waste and toxic waste of an average mega mine is dumped is unknown. Ten companies operate one mega mine. Our view is that there is no competition in this sector. It is entirely a hand-in-hand state-company relationship.”
UNLIMITED POWERS FOR MAPEG
Derya Sever made the following assessment: “In Turkey an extractivism expressed in mining plunder is managed by a government answering the demands of capitalist imperialist capital. With its outcomes and possible consequences it is not only about environmental damage; as it causes brutal labour exploitation, village depopulation and threatens worker and public health it must be taken as a holistic concept because of its destructive impact on social life. This necessity was made concrete by the omnibus law of July 2025 which we call the ‘super permit law’ because of the facilities it grants capital. MAPEG was almost endowed with unlimited powers as the trigger of capital in crimes against nature and the environment.”
THE PUBLIC IS BEING IMPOVERISHED
Assessing the cities pushed aside, Umut Şener said: “Diyarbakır is full of highlands and pasture; all water resources especially the Dicle are at risk and the aim is to impoverish and displace the public. Erzurum is a sensitive region sitting on fault lines; every excavation will cause destruction capable of damaging the geological structure. In Malatya while losses from drought and the earthquake are obvious, mining has overtaken production. In Bitlis the genetic source of endemic species is disappearing and the climate balance is being disrupted. In Sivas there is a risk that already worn soil will die completely due to mining; the city has been almost betrayed. In Van biodiversity and water resources are being sacrificed inch by inch for mines.”
CITIES PUSHED ASIDE
Polen Ekoloji carried out the MAPEG study on a provincial basis. Examining 81 provinces between 2023-2025, the organisation listed the provinces that stood out in MAPEG data. Umut Şener from Polen Ekoloji gave the following assessment regarding these provinces. The provinces standing out are as follows:
DİYARBAKIR
Since the start of 2023 MAPEG has put a total of 59 separate permit areas up for sale in Diyarbakır. Of these it sold 34 permits to 11 mining companies. The total area put up for sale in the tenders was 12,140 hectares. The total area of permits sold was 8,684 hectares (12,162 football pitches). Three of these permit areas are mega mines over one thousand hectares.
ERZURUM
In 3 years a total of 95 separate permit areas were put up for sale. Of these 26 were sold to 27 mining companies. The total area put up for sale in the tenders was 91,039 hectares (127,506 football pitches). The total area of permits sold was 26,163 hectares (36,643 football pitches). Fourteen of these permit areas are mega mines over one thousand hectares.
MALATYA
A total of 71 permit areas were put up for sale. Of these 25 were sold to 35 mining companies. The total area put up for sale in the tenders was 31,705 hectares. The permits sold covered 10,295 hectares.
BİTLİS
A total of 29 permit areas were put up for sale. Fourteen were sold to 11 mining companies. The total area put up for sale was 34,225 hectares. The total area of permits sold was 19,866 hectares.
BALIKESİR
A total of 28 permit areas were put up for sale. Of these 13 were sold to 18 mining companies. The total area put up for sale in the tenders was 20,998 hectares. Permits sold covered 11,059 hectares.
KIRKLARELİ
A total of 16 permit areas were put up for sale. The total area of these permit areas was 8,246 hectares. The total area of permits sold was 7,107 hectares. Two of these permit areas are mega mines over one thousand hectares.
SİVAS
A total of 103 permit areas were put up for sale. Of these 50 were sold to 39 mining companies. The total area put up for sale was 75,454 hectares (105,678 football pitches). The total area of permits sold was 64,405 hectares (90,203 football pitches). Nineteen of these permit areas are over one thousand hectares.
VAN
A total of 44 permit areas were put up for sale. Of these 16 were sold to 14 mining companies. The total area put up for sale was 36,179 hectares (50,671 football pitches). The total area of permits sold was 15,898 hectares. Eight of these permit areas are mega mines.
MARAŞ
A total of 68 permit areas were put up for sale. Of these 35 were sold to 39 mining companies. The total area put up for sale was 37,734 hectares (52,849 football pitches). The total area of permits sold was 16,906 hectares. Eight of these permit areas are mega mines over one thousand hectares.
ŞIRNAK
A total of 27 permit areas were put up for sale. The total area put up for sale was 13,438 hectares. The total area of permits sold was 4,092 hectares.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Şirketlere 3 yılda 837 bin futbol sahası büyüklüğünde ruhsat verildi: Ülkenin her karışı delik deşik, published in BirGün newspaper on November 19, 2025.
