Courageous women of Black Sea resist natural degradation

The women of Turkey's Black Sea region, who are known for their courage and hard work in a tough environment, have become a symbol of the protection of nature during the latest protest against the Green Road project targeting the region.

Women's efforts to protect the natural fabric of their mountainous region and their lifestyles hit headlines a few weeks ago when footage of Rabia Özcan, who was dubbed by the media as "Havva Ana" [Mother Eve], appeared defending local forests against mine construction companies.

Özcan is not the only courageous woman in the tough lands of the Black Sea, as many others are part of local groups and platforms resisting construction projects for mines or hydroelectric power plants (HES), which have been criticized for damaging streams and the environment. 

Nazl? Demet Uyan?k, 27, has been resisting the Kavak HES project in the town of Arhavi in the eastern Black Sea province of Artvin since 2012. Calling themselves "sparrow-hawks," the women of Arhavi have been staging protests for the protection of their area without informing male family members. 

"Arhavi is very precious for me. It is the land where my ancestors lived and where I grew up. People cannot think of themselves apart from the nature here, their lives are totally shaped within nature," said Uyan?k.

"We are continuing this resistance to protect our living spaces and future, as well as nature. At the same time, this is also a struggle for honor. It is not about being successful, it is about having the courage to start this resistance from the very beginning. We will continue our resistance to the very end," she added.

Nur?en Yerlikaya, 55, one of the protesters against a mining company's construction work in the...