and their analysis. It should be acknowledged that due to these problems,
self-expectations of the project team were not met as they were quite ambitious in
the context of such a difficult working area. Despite the problems, it is believed that
the end product is a new open data tool which can empower those engaged in an
environmental struggle. Also, the report and the leaflet are useful tools for people
participating in this struggle.
Another challenge was financial. Unfortunately, as it was an EU-funded project,
Transparency International Turkey and the Environmental Law Association do not
have sufficient financial and administrative capacity to keep the project running
after the end of the project period. This is the reason why the project showed very
little improvement after the project timeline. However, both sides have been
working to keep the maps, website and Facebook page running, alive and
functional.
Regarding the gathering of documents, as explained many times above, access to
decisions is a problem in itself, as the legal system does not allow the public to
access decisions. All the other ways to get the decisions are either difficult or
expensive. Considering that obtaining access to previous decisions is the first step
in filing a powerful case, difficulty in accessing decisions creates a huge obstacle for
the people and projects who would like to create a new tool to help environmental
campaigners build a successful legal case.
Adding to all the above challenges, being an EU project is a problem in itself in
gathering information and reaching activists and other key people. Even though
being an EU project mostly opens the door to information, especially in social and
environmental rights movements, many people (especially those with political
backgrounds) and organizations distance themselves from the project and are
unwilling to share information and/or experience. As the court case decisions are
thought to be critically important information, people and organizations do not want
to share what they have. They are afraid of giving this valuable information to the
wrong hands and fear they would pass it to their opponents (big companies who
deal with similar court cases from environmental groups, foreign organizations,
etc.). Despite this being understandable to some extent, it should also be understood
that it hinders the struggle to be more powerful and creates different groups within
the struggle.
7.6 Concluding Remarks
The environmental/ecological struggle has become an increasingly important battleground in Turkey. Energy investments, thousands of construction sites for new
buildings, mining sites, and urban transformation projects have all turned into
environmental conflict areas. People living in these areas and environmental activists have been in a multi-dimensional fight both against the State and the corporations. Struggle goes on both in courts and on streets. Even though street activism
is valuable and important for raising the voices of people whose rights are violated,
122
E. Türker Alpay
self-expectations of the project team were not met as they were quite ambitious in
the context of such a difficult working area. Despite the problems, it is believed that
the end product is a new open data tool which can empower those engaged in an
environmental struggle. Also, the report and the leaflet are useful tools for people
participating in this struggle.
Another challenge was financial. Unfortunately, as it was an EU-funded project,
Transparency International Turkey and the Environmental Law Association do not
have sufficient financial and administrative capacity to keep the project running
after the end of the project period. This is the reason why the project showed very
little improvement after the project timeline. However, both sides have been
working to keep the maps, website and Facebook page running, alive and
functional.
Regarding the gathering of documents, as explained many times above, access to
decisions is a problem in itself, as the legal system does not allow the public to
access decisions. All the other ways to get the decisions are either difficult or
expensive. Considering that obtaining access to previous decisions is the first step
in filing a powerful case, difficulty in accessing decisions creates a huge obstacle for
the people and projects who would like to create a new tool to help environmental
campaigners build a successful legal case.
Adding to all the above challenges, being an EU project is a problem in itself in
gathering information and reaching activists and other key people. Even though
being an EU project mostly opens the door to information, especially in social and
environmental rights movements, many people (especially those with political
backgrounds) and organizations distance themselves from the project and are
unwilling to share information and/or experience. As the court case decisions are
thought to be critically important information, people and organizations do not want
to share what they have. They are afraid of giving this valuable information to the
wrong hands and fear they would pass it to their opponents (big companies who
deal with similar court cases from environmental groups, foreign organizations,
etc.). Despite this being understandable to some extent, it should also be understood
that it hinders the struggle to be more powerful and creates different groups within
the struggle.
7.6 Concluding Remarks
The environmental/ecological struggle has become an increasingly important battleground in Turkey. Energy investments, thousands of construction sites for new
buildings, mining sites, and urban transformation projects have all turned into
environmental conflict areas. People living in these areas and environmental activists have been in a multi-dimensional fight both against the State and the corporations. Struggle goes on both in courts and on streets. Even though street activism
is valuable and important for raising the voices of people whose rights are violated,
122
E. Türker Alpay