Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has advanced a controversial bill that would allow the construction of hotels and tourism facilities inside national parks, attracting criticism from opposition lawmakers and environmental advocates, the Gazete Oksijen news website reported on Thursday.
The 30-article bill, titled “Amendments to the National Parks Law, Certain Other Laws and Decree Law No. 375,” was approved by a parliamentary committee this week with the backing of AKP lawmakers.
If enacted, the law would authorize the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP) to permit accommodation and tourism facilities in areas deemed suitable “for public benefit.” The regulation would grant operating rights to private companies and individuals for up to 49 years, extendable to 99 years for “successful” operators.
The proposal also empowers the directorate to seize, demolish or repurpose any illegal or unauthorized structures within protected areas without court approval.
Under the proposed legislation, individuals and corporations could obtain paid permits to build transportation, energy, water and other infrastructure inside national and nature parks, provided the projects align with approved zoning and environmental plans.
The bill additionally revises hunting and wildlife management rules, enabling the directorate to issue hunting licenses and impose fines or prison sentences for illegal hunting.
The proposal has drawn swift backlash from opposition lawmakers and environmentalists, who say it would open the door to large-scale commercial projects in protected zones and weaken environmental safeguards under the guise of tourism development.
Hikmet Öztürk, forest and rural development consultant at the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA), warned that the bill not only seeks to align existing regulations but also introduces numerous new provisions that could weaken protections for natural areas.
The bill, he said, redefines the responsibilities of the DKMP under several existing laws. “While some of these revisions are necessary, others risk undermining nature conservation,” Öztürk said. Arguing that the proposed framework treats protected areas as ordinary land rather than ecological assets to be preserved, he said, “The true public interest lies in protecting these lands, not exploiting them.”
Earlier this week, Orhan Sarıbal, a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), also warned that the bill “is filled with dangerous provisions,” accusing the AKP of paving the way for the exploitation of protected land. Speaking at a press conference in parliament, Sarıbal said the proposal reduces the authority of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry while expanding the powers of the DKMP.
“This bill is essentially an amnesty for poachers and a plunder law for national parks,” he said, warning that the changes could allow the construction of hotels, spas and other tourism complexes “under the pretext of thermal water use,” opening ecologically sensitive areas to investors.
Turkey currently has 50 national parks, 274 nature parks, 111 natural monuments, 32 nature conservation areas, 136 wetlands and 85 wildlife development zones, which collectively attract nearly 70 million visitors annually.
Environmental groups have long criticized what they describe as inadequate enforcement of protection laws amid expanding tourism and construction projects in protected areas. There have been reports of facilities operating in zones where building is officially prohibited, such as the lakeside hotel in Şavşat Karagöl National Park in the northeastern province of Artvin.
Large-scale public parks known as “nation’s gardens” were among President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s key election promises in 2018, when he pledged to transform former military zones and public lands into green spaces across the country. The initiative drew ridicule from critics who accused Erdoğan of trying to win voters’ support with symbolic gestures like serving free tea and cakes rather than addressing deeper social and economic challenges.
Erdoğan’s government has continued to promote tourism-led growth as part of its economic strategy, often clashing with environmental groups who accuse Ankara of prioritizing investment and construction over conservation.