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The Economist - 25 August 2005 - How green is their valley

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  • The Economist - 25 August 2005 - How green is their valley

    Turkish tourism

    How green is their valley
    Aug 25th 2005 | CAMLIHEMSIN, TURKEY
    >From The Economist print edition

    A remote hideaway could thrive on, or be wrecked by, eco-tourism

    THEY used to be one of Turkey's best-kept tourist secrets: the scented
    plateaus of the Pontic mountains, with their wild flowers and exuberant
    dancers. For the handful of travellers who came this far east, few
    landscapes were as enticing as the Hemsin valleys in the province of
    Rize, a place where many locals speak a dialect close to Armenian,
    practise moderate Islam and are agnostic about their origins.

    More recently, news of this area's beauty has been spreading. A new
    breed of eco-tourist, many of them from Israel, has begun to head for
    the yaylas, or meadows, with their roaring rivers and stone bridges.
    But the very attractions that draw in these green wanderers could be
    destroyed if clumsy developers and opportunistic local politicians
    get their way.

    To see the aesthetic hazards of unregulated tourism, go no further
    than Ayder, a yayla overlooking one of the Hemsin valleys that was
    once renowned for its tranquillity and hot springs. Thanks to a stream
    of Turkish and foreign visitors, the air is thick with smoke rising
    from barbecues. Mournful Arabesque music blares from tour buses and
    cars. Garish motels and handicraft stands obscure the view.

    Many Hemsinlis are furious. Ayder's degeneration began after it was
    linked by road to the nearby town of Camlihemsin, says Selcuk Guney,
    a local activist. One of his aims is to ensure his birthplace, the
    neighbouring Firtina valley, avoids a similar fate. So far it is
    virtually untouched; that is partly because access is by dirt track.

    Mr Guney insists that if the region's unique way of life is to be
    preserved, and well-managed eco-tourism is to flourish, the footpaths
    leading to yaylas must not be replaced with paved roads; and tour
    buses "that leave nothing but trash behind" must be restricted.
    Mustafa Orhan, a crusty old bee-keeper who led a successful campaign
    against a planned hydro-electric dam on the Firtina river, suspects
    that the government's unspoken aim in building roads is to help
    commercial logging. Locals have long used electric pulley-carts,
    running along steel cables, to bring food and other supplies to
    their yayla homes. So, instead of roads, Mr Orhan asks: "Why not
    build electric cable-cars to carry people?"

    Locals of his persuasion have found an ally in Rize's governor, Enver
    Salihoglu; he too opposes further road construction in the valleys.
    Smart development could avoid ruining this Shangri-la, he believes.
    In Camlihemsin, for example, there could be more emphasis on bees,
    trout farming and organic tea. Of course, not every Hemsinli is so
    conservation-minded. "I want cable television and a fridge," says
    Muazzez Yildiz, an elderly lady whose cottage has a gorgeous view of
    the Firtina valley. The question is how to help her without wrecking
    the place for those who will pay a premium for its virgin enchantments.
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