Nejla Işık is a Turkish
environmental activist
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...
and
community leader
Community leader is a designation, often by secondary sources (particularly in the media), for a person widely perceived to represent a community. A simple way to understand community leadership is to see it as leadership in, for and by the communi ...
who has been involved in efforts to prevent deforestation in the
Akbelen Forest. She was elected as the
mukhtar
A mukhtar (; ) is a village chief in the Levant: "an old institution that goes back to the time of the Ottoman rule". According to Amir S. Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed, the mukhtar "for centuries were the central figures". They "were ...
of
İkizköy in 2024 and was recognized internationally for her role in environmental advocacy.
Career
Işık emerged as an
environmental activist
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...
and
community leader
Community leader is a designation, often by secondary sources (particularly in the media), for a person widely perceived to represent a community. A simple way to understand community leadership is to see it as leadership in, for and by the communi ...
in
İkizköy. She became involved in the resistance against deforestation of the
Akbelen Forest, which had been allocated for
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
activities by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to supply nearby
power plants
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many power ...
, such as
Kemerköy or
Yeniköy. This resistance, known as the Akbelen Resistance, began in 2017 as the forest faced threats from expanding mining projects.
In 2019, Işık, alongside other activists, started a watch to prevent
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
. Their efforts included legal action and protests. By 2023, the movement experienced intense clashes with authorities and the mining company, including fines and other deterrent measures.
Following these struggles, a court decision in 2024 canceled plans to expropriate land for further mining.
On March 31, 2024, Işık was elected as the
mukhtar
A mukhtar (; ) is a village chief in the Levant: "an old institution that goes back to the time of the Ottoman rule". According to Amir S. Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed, the mukhtar "for centuries were the central figures". They "were ...
of İkizköy, winning against her rival candidate by 93 to 71 votes.
Her candidacy was supported by the İkizköy Environment Committee that she previously chaired and driven by her commitment to resisting the mining projects threatening the area.
Her leadership has been marked by continued activism, including public speeches advocating for the preservation of local natural and
cultural resources A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also use the term in relation to intangible social and spiritual inhe ...
.
In December 2024, Işık was named one of the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's "
100 Women of 2024," under the category of climate pioneers. The list highlighted her five-year struggle to protect the Akbelen Forest and her resilience in the face of opposition from both corporate and state actors.
Personal life
As of 2024, Işık is a mother of two children in their 20s and belongs to a family that actively participated in the Akbelen Resistance, including members of the older generation in their 80s.
See also
*
Environmental issues in Turkey
Turkey hosts more than three thousand endemic plant species, has high diversity of other taxa, and is mostly covered by three of the world's thirty-five biodiversity hotspots. Although some environmental pressures have been decoupled from econom ...
*
Forests in Turkey
*
Deniz Gümüşel
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Işık, Nejla
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Date of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)
Turkish women activists
Turkish environmentalists
People from Milas
Local politicians in Turkey
21st-century Turkish women politicians