Kirazlı gold mine (Alamos Gold), Kaz Dağları, Çanakkale
- 45,650 of my trees were felled.Environmental impact assessment (ÇED) figure.
- 195,000 of my trees were felled.TEMA figure.
- 347,815 of my trees were felled.Turkish Foresters' Association figure.
- No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
- Government and regulators General Directorate of Forestry (OGM): 13,400 trees. Diken
- Government and regulators Environmental impact assessment (ÇED): 45,650 trees. Diken
- Communities and civil society TEMA: 195,000 trees. Diken
- Communities and civil society Turkish Foresters' Association: 347,815 trees. Diken
- Communities and civil society Claim circulating in public debate (originator not identified in the sources reviewed): Kaz Dağları and the olives are being poisoned with cyanide.
- Company or project Alamos Gold: Cyanide is never used during the construction phase (2019).
- Government and regulators The Ministry: The site is 40 km from Kaz Dağları.
Canadian company Alamos Gold's Kirazlı gold project in the Kaz Dağları area of Çanakkale, Türkiye, lost its operating licence in 2019, drew a USD 1 billion arbitration claim in 2021, and was sold to a Turkish company for USD 470 million in 2025. The number of trees felled is put at between 13,400 and 347,815, depending on the source.
Lowest: General Directorate of Forestry (OGM); highest: Turkish Foresters' Association. The environmental impact assessment gave 45,650 and TEMA 195,000.
Status As of July 2026: the projects belong to Tümad (Nurol Holding), the arbitration is suspended, machinery was reported on site in April 2026, and the vigil continues.
- Alamos Gold — Agreed a sale price of USD 470 million for the East Biga projects. Alamos Gold
- Tümad (Nurol Holding) — Acquired the Kirazlı, Ağı Dağı and Çamyurt projects. Alamos Gold
- Alamos Gold — Operating licence expired on 13 October 2019 and was not extended; forest permit rejected in October 2020. CIM Magazine
What happened
The East Biga projects in the Kaz Dağları area of Çanakkale, including Kirazlı, belonged to the Canadian company Alamos Gold from 2018. The operating licence expired on 13 October 2019 and was not extended; the forest permit was rejected in October 2020. Türkiye did not renew the mining licence in 2019.
Trees were felled at Kirazlı. The figures differ by source: 13,400 (General Directorate of Forestry, OGM), 45,650 (environmental impact assessment, ÇED), 195,000 (TEMA) and 347,815 (Turkish Foresters' Association). A counting convention noted in the sources is that trees under 8 cm in diameter are not counted. A protest vigil, the 'Water and Conscience Vigil', began in July 2019; the Atikhisar Dam lies 14 km from the site.
In April 2021 Alamos claimed USD 1 billion in international arbitration over the halted project, and said its investment exceeded USD 250 million. The company's chief executive said Alamos had paid about USD 5 million for forest permits and described the protests as a political attack.
On 14 September 2025 Alamos announced the sale of its Turkish projects (Kirazlı, Ağı Dağı and Çamyurt) to Tümad, a subsidiary of Nurol Holding, for USD 470 million. The arbitration was reported as suspended, to lapse when certain stages of the sale are completed; the terms were reported as confidential.
In April 2026 Tümad's work machinery was reported on the site, and opponents said no new environmental impact assessment decision had been issued. In July 2026 the Kirazlı Solidarity Network was formed and the vigil continued.
- 2018East Biga projects held by Alamos Gold
- 2019July: 'Water and Conscience Vigil' begins. 13 October: operating licence expires and is not extended
- 2020October: forest permit rejected
- 2021April: Alamos claims USD 1 billion in international arbitration
- 202514 September: Alamos announces sale of its Turkish projects to Tümad (Nurol Holding) for USD 470 million; arbitration suspended
- 2026April: Tümad machinery reported on site; July: Kirazlı Solidarity Network formed, vigil continues
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Kaz Dağları and the olives are being poisoned with cyanide.
Cyanide is never used during the construction phase (2019).
The site is 40 km from Kaz Dağları.
How it looked
Shown
- The protests are political and deliberate misinformation.Alamos Gold (company position, as reported) · Diken
- Cyanide is never used during the construction phase (2019).Alamos Gold (as reported)
- The site is 40 km from Kaz Dağları.The Ministry (as reported)
Recorded
- The operating licence ended on 13 October 2019 and was not extended; the forest permit was rejected in October 2020.
- Tree-felling figures: 13,400 (OGM), 45,650 (environmental impact assessment), 195,000 (TEMA), 347,815 (Turkish Foresters' Association).
- Alamos claimed USD 1 billion in international arbitration in April 2021; the company said its investment exceeded USD 250 million.
- The East Biga projects (Kirazlı, Ağı Dağı, Çamyurt) were sold to Tümad, a Nurol Holding subsidiary, for USD 470 million (announced 14 September 2025); the arbitration is suspended and the terms are confidential.
- The Kirazlı environmental impact assessment includes a heap-leach area.
- A 2025 law, as described in the sources reviewed, replaced the olive-grove protection standard at the sites of two companies with a 'transplant or equivalent area' requirement.
- Unauthorised removal of olive trees carries a penalty of TL 60 per tree.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- alamos-gold (2019): Its chief executive said the company paid about USD 5 million for forest permits and described the protests as a political attack (paraphrase of Turkish-language reporting). · Diken
- alamos-gold (2019): It said in 2019 that cyanide is never used during the construction phase (paraphrase).
- alamos-gold (April 2021): It said its investment exceeded USD 250 million and claimed USD 1 billion in international arbitration. · CIM Magazine
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2021-04–Ongoing$1000000bn Amount claimedAlamos Gold arbitration claim over the halted Kirazlı projectInternational arbitration · Arbitration · Alamos Gold → Türkiye
Alamos claimed USD 1 billion in April 2021 and said its investment exceeded USD 250 million. After the sale to Tümad in September 2025 the arbitration was suspended and is to lapse once certain stages are completed. CIM Magazine
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.
- Disputed How many trees were felled at Kirazlı?
- Disputed Is cyanide poisoning Kaz Dağları and its olives?
Record
- None on record How many trees were felled: sources give figures from 13,400 to 347,815, and the counting convention excludes trees under 8 cm in diameter.
- Unclear Whether cyanide has affected olives: no record measuring cyanide in olives was found in the sources reviewed.
- None on record How many of the transplanted trees under the 2025 olive-grove law survive: no record was found.
- None on record Where the boundary of 'Kaz Dağları' is drawn: the Ministry puts the site 40 km from Kaz Dağları, and the sources reviewed do not settle the boundary.
- None on record The terms of the Tümad sale and of the arbitration suspension: reported as confidential.
- None on record The project's current operating status: the sources reviewed give only the April 2026 report of machinery on site and opponents' statement that no new environmental impact assessment decision exists.
Did the harm stop?
The operating licence expired on 13 October 2019 and was not extended; the forest permit was rejected in October 2020. Tümad's machinery was reported on the site in April 2026.
Who paid?
The arbitration claim of USD 1 billion against Türkiye is suspended pending completion of certain stages of the sale; the sources reviewed record no payment to forest or water users.
Sources
Company or project
- Alamos Announces Sale of Turkish ProjectsAlamos Gold · 2025-09-14
Press and investigations
- Alamos seeks $1 billion from Turkey over halted mining projectCIM Magazine · 2021
- Evrensel report on the Kirazlı vigil (article 5993591)Evrensel · 2026
Connected cases
- European court found Turkish permit for Bergama cyanide gold mine breached privacy Turkey · 2004 Related matter