"Opposition to Gold Mining at Mount Ida, Turkey", 10 February 2015

This conflict concerns the development of gold mining at Mount Ida in the Biga District of western Turkey. Prospecting for gold has been expanding in the region since 2007, leading to the development of an opposition that aims to halt several cyanide-leaching open pit gold mining projects in an area valued for its environment, agricultural production and cultural heritage.

Gold mining projects

Since the early 1990s, there have been intermittent exploration activities for gold and other minerals at several locations around Mount Ida. Mount Ida is situated in Biga, in north-western Anatolia, and part of it was declared a National Park in 1993. Because an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is not required at the exploration stage in Turkey, a permit from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is enough to get started...