TURKEY 2008

These images were taken on a press trip to the Kackar mountains of eastern Turkey in June 2008. This region in Eastern Anatolia borders the Black Sea and Georgia. It is an area of pristine mountain forests and beautiful high pastures.

A dam is proposed on the Coruh River at Yusufeli, and with such a prospect looming over them for so long, the population has been leaving en masse. Schools and hospitals are closing, and summer villages going to ruin.

The area has been identified by several agencies as a biodiversity hot-spot, and plans are gathering pace to oppose the dam and protect the unique flora and fauna of the region.

More information will follow. Thanks to Kate Clow and the Turkish Tourism Ministry for the invitation, and to Middle Earth Travel for our arrangements!