Turkey Fines 2 Foreigners 1.4M Lira for Illegal Species Collection in Türkiye

Turkey's Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli announced that two foreign nationals who illegally collected species from Nemrut Mountain National Park have been fined 1.4 million lira. The minister made the statement on his social media account, emphasizing that authorities are not giving bio-smugglers any leeway. We imposed an administrative fine of 1.4 million lira on two foreign nationals who illegally collected species from our natural heritage, Nemrut Mountain National Park, within the scope of our relevant legislation, Yumakli said. He added that the 16 grasshoppers seized during the operation, carried out in coordination with the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks and the Adiyaman Provincial Police Department, were released back into the wild.