Turkey adopts novel measure to prevent forest fires

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey

Turkey has come up with a novel method to protect its forests.

In the southern province of Kahramanmaras, at least 60 new camera traps have been installed in forests, taking the total to 84.

This can prevent incidents of forest fires.

The cameras can capture images of moving vehicles, people or animals in the forests and send a notification to relevant authorities in real-time, said Mustafa Koc, head of the Regional Directorate of Forestry.

“The images will be instantly sent to the directorate that the necessary intervention can be made in a short time,” he added.

Apart from these cameras, the forests are under surveillance by drones, which also assist in search and rescue operations.

The directorate covers forestlands in Hatay, Kilis, Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras.

“There were massive forest fires in the region, in 2020. I hope we will not experience the same events this year,” he said, adding that the region is a first degree fire-sensitive zone, especially due to climatic conditions in summer.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin