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The zoning plans for conservation in Istanbul's Adalar district (Prince’s Islands) include provisions that could result in the cutting down of trees, damage to the coastline, pollution of marine environments, and the erosion of our cultural heritage. 

The main issue with these plans is the exclusion of the coastlines. It's inappropriate to devise a development plan for an area entirely surrounded by water without incorporating a coastal plan. Additionally, the plan permits the building of a 2000 square meters hotel in Burgazada without regarding the adjacent shoreline or essential considerations like logistics, transportation, and visitor management.

This campaign is not a signature campaign against Conservation Planning. 

A plan is an important need. However, the current plans contain articles that will disrupt the social, environmental, and natural balances of the islands and the culture of coexistence for the reasons we share below. 

Coasts are excluded from the plan on islands with sea on all four sides: formulating a zoning plan without incorporating a coastal plan is inappropriate for an area that is surrounded by water on all sides. The coastal edge line has not been determined, and the relationship of the coasts, which are the densest interface of the islands, with the mainland, the inner parts of the island, urban, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems, and the lives of humans and other living creatures has not been defined. 

Restriction of public constitutional rights: The planning of touristic facilities, recreational areas and residential areas in territories bordering the coast involves the risk of restricting the use of seacoasts, which is a constitutional right of the public.

Unchecked focus on growing tourism: The construction of a 2,000 m2 hotel in Burgazada was permitted without any logistics, transport, visitor management and disaster planning. The unchecked growth of tourism at heritage sites can exacerbate water depletion and overcrowding, while noise pollution disrupts the serenity of these culturally significant locations, thereby eroding their historical and cultural value for future generations.

Visitor loads to the islands: The impact area of this large area opened for tourism construction will be much wider. The visitor load of the island will increase significantly.

Do not allow the Paradisos (Garden of Eden) in Sait Faik Abasıyanık’s stories to disappear!

The proposed construction of this new and un-historic hotel will come at the cost of  destroying one of the most important cultural sites of Burgazada, Paradisos, now known as the Garden of Eden, which Sait Faik Abasıyanık wrote about in his stories. 

We are concerned about Marta Bay and its surroundings!
The area around Marta Bay harbours a sensitive ecosystem that is vital for many migratory bird and fish species and this fact has not been taken into consideration in the plan. 

The daily facilities planned to be built in Ayanikola and the arrangements envisaged for the surroundings of Marta Bay will both increase the visitor load and threaten the existing cultural and natural texture. 

Increased fire risk
Fire risk will be increased by placing "equipment" areas next to forest areas, and wastewater will continue to be discharged into the Marmara Sea.

The plans seem to overlook critical factors such as natural disasters, geological information, and ecological data, including earthquakes, forest fires, and the climate crisis. For instance, it's concerning to see designated "development" zones situated adjacent to forested areas, a move that will likely heighten human activity and disturb natural ecosystems.

Similarly, wastewater discharge points are visible on the island coasts. Experts working on the Marmara Sea emphasise that wastewater should not be discharged into the sea in any way, even if it is treated. The Marmara Sea cannot be a receiving environment for wastewater. In a period when it is scientifically proven that drought will increase, the way should be paved for the reuse of wastewater instead of discharging it into the sea.

Cultural heritage sites such as the Sanatorium and Seminary in Heybeliada have been deliberately ignored
While the registered buildings, cultural heritage areas and lands such as the Sanatorium and Seminary on Heybeli Island were included in the protection status as cultural heritage, their functions were declared as health and education, but these functions were not clearly specified in the 1/1000 implementation plans. Areas in this type of situation cause gaps in the plans and the risk of function change in the future.

A large logistics area situated near the Monastery of Hagia Nikola in Büyükada 
This application, which removes logistics and storage areas from the bazaar and moves them to the Aya Nikola District, one of the first settlement areas of Büyükada and containing archaeological remnants, threatens the cultural heritage, increases the risk of fire, and misuses the historical orchard land.

The building height limitation should be adjusted by considering the slopes of the islands.
Given the islands' sloping terrain, there's a risk that the established floor height limits could be easily manipulated. In the guidelines about storey height, construction licenses for the islands should explicitly require a site plan. It's unacceptable that such a requirement, aimed at preventing the misuse of storey height, is missing from the plan.

While the zoning plans stipulate that no new construction is permitted on plots with registered buildings, this clause is susceptible to abuse because the Cultural Heritage Inventory for the Adalar District has not been finalized.

The Princes' Islands are a significant asset with potential for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list, and an official process is already in motion. One of the crucial elements that any conservation development plan for the Islands must address meticulously is ensuring their eligibility for the UNESCO World Heritage list through thoughtful planning.

Safeguard Our Islands, Preserve Our Heritage