Müge Okur
The “Marina” project that the municipality in Ayvalık, Balıkesir, wishes to implement is drawing criticism due to the damage it causes to the environment and allegations of commercial profiteering. Nebahat Dinler, spokesperson for the Ayvalık Nature Platform, emphasised that the project poses serious risks.
The “Marina, Seabed Dredging, Boat Yard Renovation and Landfill Extension” project, which the Ayvalık Municipality intends to implement in the 150 Evler neighbourhood of Ayvalık district, is drawing criticism on the grounds that it will threaten the city’s marine ecosystem and create a new area for commercial profiteering. According to a report by Evrensel.net, the Ayvalık Nature Platform argues that the project, which involves approximately 10,000 square metres of marine filling and extensive seabed dredging, will cause more harm than good to the town. Nebahat Dinler, spokesperson for the Ayvalık Nature Platform, stated that the project poses serious risks to the marine ecosystem and the town’s infrastructure.
“The inland sea is like a closed lake; the new breakwater will halt circulation”
The physical interventions the project will make to the sea and the coastline are the greatest cause for concern among Ayvalık’s nature lovers. Emphasising that Ayvalık’s inner sea is already under threat from pollution and exists in a “closed lake” structure due to insufficient circulation, Nebahat Dinler notes that a new breakwater project will further negatively impact the existing water flow.
Drawing attention to the sensitivity of the region’s marine ecosystem, Dinler recalls the warning from Prof. Dr. Doğan Yaşar of Dokuz Eylül University that “no action should be taken without detailed oceanographic studies in the region”. However, it is stated that the prepared EIA report lacks fundamental analyses such as current measurements, biological oceanography and sand movements, and that there is no satisfactory information regarding the project’s impact on the marine ecosystem. Dinler stresses that such measures, which would hinder the sea’s circulation whilst pollution sources need to be addressed, are incompatible with scientific facts.
“Is the 300 million TL project for the people or for capital?”
The fact that the project costs 300 million TL raises concerns that Ayvalık Municipality will hand over this investment to the private sector under a Build-Operate-Transfer model, and that the area will be transformed into a major commercial centre. Noting that the area is being marketed as a “new-generation marina” in project presentations, Dinler argues that this is not what Ayvalık needs.
“Is a luxury marina appropriate when the infrastructure is already sounding the alarm?”
Recalling that a large commercial area such as the Kırlangıç Life Centre already exists right next to the project site, Dinler emphasises the right to coastal use and makes the following criticism: “We do not consider it appropriate, from the perspective of coastal use, for a new shopping centre concept to be built next to Kırlangıç. “There is Setur Marina at one end of the town and the Kırlangıç Shopping Centre at the other. We oppose the perspective of treating these areas solely as commercial zones.” Noting that Ayvalık faces serious infrastructure problems such as water, sewage and traffic, particularly during the summer months, Dinler states that the priority should be improving infrastructure, not creating new profit-making areas. Environmental rights advocates are demanding that the existing boat yard be improved and transformed into social facilities open to the public, rather than being converted into a massive marina.
The process was not implemented, but the “EIA is required” decision offered hope
Dinler stated that they had raised their objections to the project months earlier, at the City Council meeting held on 19 November 2024, and noted that civil society had been excluded and that the council had not convened for one and a half years. Whilst the submission of the EIA dossier to the ministry without fanfare sparked reactions, the Balıkesir Governorate’s decision to issue a “Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required” ruling rather than granting direct approval for the project was seen as a hopeful step by environmentalists.
29 April: A critical milestone – the decision rests with the people of Ayvalık
The Ayvalık Nature Platform emphasises that this decision will trigger a comprehensive review process and that, through the “Public Participation Meeting” to be held on 29 April, the people of Ayvalık will be able to formally record their objections prioritising nature and people. The platform, which has also received support from scientists and hydrobiologists, states that it will continue its fight to protect the sea and the coastline.