Locals fight to protect indigenous flowers

ISTANBUL

Alamy Photo

Istanbul’s Adalar (Princes’ Islands) residents and public institutions, which came together to fight the picking of mimosa flowers without permission and damaging the trees every year in the spring, have made new attempts to protect the flowers unique to the islands.

Speaking about the issue that disturbed the locals, district governor Mustafa Ayhan explained that they started a project to register the symbol of the district.

Stating that they are not against the sale of mimosas, Ayhan said that they want this work to be done duly and under control without harming the trees.

Noting that they plan to set up a flower auction on Büyükada, the largest of Istanbul’s nine Princes’ Islands, and that the mimosa is pruned and sold by qualified people, Ayhan stated that it is a public order problem to prevent trees from being taken away from the gardens without permission.

Ayhan also emphasized that they will continue to work with municipalities, tradesmen and local volunteers to transform mimosa into a local value.

Meanwhile, volunteers who distributed informative brochures to tourists visiting the district about the protection of mimosa also met with Mayor Erdem Gül and officials.

While volunteers asked for informative posters in the short term, they demanded a Mimosa workshop to be held.