Turkey number 3 worldwide in growing forestland

By Enes Duran

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey is the world’s number three country in adding forestland, after China and India, Turkey’s agriculture and forestry minister said on Saturday.

In the last 30 years, Turkey has increased its forestland by 6%, Bekir Pakdemirli told Anadolu Agency.

Worldwide, forestland has shrunk over the last 10 years an average of 5.2 million hectares annually, Pakdemirli said.

With its afforestation, erosion control, and rehabilitation efforts over the last 10 years, Turkey is among the world's leading countries in adding forestland, and these effort will continue, he said.

As part of efforts to fight desertification and erosion, Turkey carried out 327 project between 2011 and 2018.

They include upstream basin flood control, afforestation catchment basins, avalanche defense, landslide hazard maps, integrated watershed rehabilitation, general soil conservation, rockfalls, afforestation, and wildlife corridors.

* Writing by Faruk Zorlu