The decisions taken for the protection of Gökçe Dam, which is an important water resource for Yalova, made all the local people happy.
The objections of the TEMA Foundation, which has been carrying out legal studies on the Gökçe Dam and water collection basin and the protection of the water right of the people of Yalova since 2009, to the plans of various scales prepared for the Termal district and the Thermal Tourism Center were justified by the judiciary.
The 2019/1 scale Thermal Tourism Center Environmental Plan, approved in 50.000, would pose a threat to the Gökçe Dam Basin and cause an increase in construction. TEMA Foundation took this plan to the judiciary to protect the water right of the people of Yalova. The objections made were justified by the judiciary and parts of the plan that would affect the quantity and quality of water in the Gökçe Dam Basin were cancelled. According to this; Decisions that led to an increase in construction in the short and medium-distance protection areas of the basin and the decisions to make a tourism zone in forest areas were cancelled.
Expressing their satisfaction with the decision taken, TEMA Foundation Chairman of the Board Deniz Ataç stated that the spiritual value of Yalova, which is the province where the late Hayrettin Karaca, one of the Founding Honorary Presidents of TEMA Foundation, also established Karaca Arboretum, Turkey's first private arboretum, is very high. Atac also; “In today's world where the effects of climate change are being experienced more and more, the protection of water assets becomes more important. It is necessary to avoid practices that adversely affect the amount and quality of water stored in dams, especially where drinking water is supplied. The planned tourism investments should not harm the natural water and forest assets to which it owes its existence and potential, on the contrary, it should be protective. Both supporting tourism investments and meeting the clean water needs of people can be possible with a planning that recognizes and protects the ecological cycles between forest and water.
The forests in the Gökçe Dam Basin were designated as conservation forests.
The quantity and quality of water in Gökçe Dam, which meets the water needs of the people of Yalova, is directly dependent on the forest areas in the catchment area. These uniquely beautiful forests, where natural Chestnut, Linden, Beech, Oak and Pine species are mixed, ensure that water is produced in the highest quantity and quality. For this reason, 1985 hectares of forest area located in Gökçe Dam Basin was declared as conservation forest in 1052. However, the plans made to increase tourism in the Termal district negatively affect the forests in the water holding basin of Gökçe Dam and the amount and quality of the dam water.
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