The authorities of Türkiye and the World Bank have launched a $400 million (TL 12.90 billion) challenge to strengthen the nation’s capability to guard individuals and forests from wildfires, the lender introduced Thursday, and a ceremony was held in Ankara.
“Türkiye is vulnerable to floods, wildfires, storms and landslides, some of which are frequent and are driven by climate change. In 2021, Türkiye’s southern and western regions experienced the worst wildfires ever recorded in recent history,” the World Bank stated in an announcement.
The newly launched Türkiye Climate Resilient Forests Project (IDOP) will help the federal government of Türkiye in strengthening wildfire administration, the resilience of forests and folks towards wildfires and countering rising dangers of local weather change within the nation’s 14 provinces which are essentially the most in danger for wildfires, it famous.
“In the face of escalating wildfires that tragically claimed lives in 2021, Türkiye is proud to lead the charge in modernizing forest fire management,” the financial institution quoted Bekir Karacabey, director of General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) below the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye, as saying.
“Our nation stands at the forefront, pioneering advanced technologies and holistic approaches to both prevent and suppress wildfires. The world looks to Türkiye as a beacon of innovation and resilience in safeguarding our forests and communities,” he famous.
“As we embark on the Türkiye Climate Resilient Forests Project in partnership with the World Bank, we are taking decisive action to protect our precious forests and communities from the growing threats of massive fires and climate change impacts.”
“Today marks an important step ahead in our dedication to safeguarding communities and ecosystems. The Türkiye Climate Resilient Forests Project underscores our dedication to proactive local weather adaptation motion and resilience-building,” famous Humberto Lopez, World Bank nation director for Türkiye.
“In today’s real figures, an investment of TL179 billion was made to develop our forests. During this time, 7 billion seeds and saplings were planted in the soil. Thirty percent of our country’s surface area is covered with forests,” Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı stated through the challenge’s opening ceremony.
“According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data, our country ranks first in Europe and fourth in the world in afforestation efforts,” he added.
“According to FAO data published in five years, our country ranked 46th in terms of forest area in 2015 and rose to 27th place in 2020,” the minister stated.
Pointing out that local weather change is an important issue that may have an effect on everybody, Yumaklı underscored the necessity to put together individually, institutionally and as international locations for it.
“Today, we will have started the IDOP Project, for which the World Bank will provide a loan of $400 million and which will last for five years,” he famous.
“The fact that the project covers our provinces, such as Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Adana and Osmaniye, will make a significant contribution to the recovery of the earthquake region. The project includes important sub-projects in terms of establishing fire-resistant forests,” the minister stated.
Source: www.dailysabah.com