This indicator is a pressure indicator and shows the number of mines registered in a year by different licensing groups. Mining plays an important role because of its direct contribution to the economy and, in particular, because of the inputs it provides to the manufacturing sector. However, mining decisions should be made and implemented taking into account economic and environmental criteria to ensure the generalwelfare of the country.

In 2020, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, General Directorate of Mining Affairs issued a total of 15,200 mining licenses, ofwhich 5,136 were exploration licenses and 9,984 were operation licenses. From 2008 to 2020, the total number of licenses issued has decreased over the years. The share of mining and quarrying in GDP was 1.1% in 2020.

Looking at the distribution of the 7,548 licensed mines in operation in 2020 by their groups, it can be seen that 2,529 of them were in the IV Group, followed by the II Group (a) with 2,368 and the II Group (b) with 2,041^[106].

GRAPH 136- TOTAL NUMBER OF GIVEN LICENSES BY YEARS (2008-2020)

Source: Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, General Directorate of Mining Affairs (MIGEM),2021 http://www. mapeg.gov.tr/maden_istatistik.aspx

GRAPH 137- NUMBER OF LICENSES FOR OPERATED MINES BY MINING GROUPS (2010-2020)

Source: Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, General Directorate of Mining Affairs (MIGEM), 2021 http://www. mapeg.gov.tr/maden_istatistik.aspx