Yusufeli , Turkey ( CNN ) -- The most impressive thing about Yusufeli is the people who live there . When we go on shoots with CNN 's Earth 's Frontiers , it 's usually the spectacular scenery , or technical wizardry that we are trying to film . This time we had to film a way of life -- people and animals and nature . In a word , biodiversity . Yusufeli in the Kaçkar Mountains is famed for its wealth of species . The rural areas are alive with bees buzzing , frogs croaking and the sound of rushing water . Brown bears roam the upper slopes of the mountains . In the town itself , old men sit outside and play backgammon with a cup of Turkish tea to hand . It 's very picturesque . And it 's under threat from an unlikely source . The Yusufeli dam project is part of Turkey 's national plan to expand its use of hydropower . This is a huge project , which will eventually see up to 3,000 working dams all over the country . The Çoruh River , which runs through the town , will eventually have 15 dams on it . When the project is complete the town will be flooded , but the dam system will provide one tenth of Turkey 's electricity . And that 's the crux of the matter . Turkey is a rapidly developing country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world . As the mayor of Yusufeli told us , `` Energy has an important role to play in terms of the development of countries . '' Nobody can deny that hydro is one of the cheapest , cleanest , most efficient ways of producing electricity . That means the Yusufeli dam is a very attractive proposition for the state and perhaps a sacrifice for the greater good . At the moment Turkey 's energy sector is dependent on dirty , expensive fossil fuels , which are imported . By capitalizing on the country 's rivers , the state moves towards greater energy independence . I arranged an interview with DSI , the state hydraulic company that is building the Yusufeli dam . But when we turned up , they refused to speak to us on camera , despite having agreed to the interview some weeks before . The company said the situation was `` sensitive . '' The people of Yusufeli have been waiting for the axe to fall for some time . One resident we interviewed said he had first heard talk of a dam forty years ago . Most people we spoke to said if it was going to come , it should come soon . All residents were unsure of their future . And yet I was struck by the building sites all over the town . Yusufeli residents have not yet accepted this dam . Mustafa Yikilmaz , a local NGO worker , described his town as `` thriving . '' The Çoruh River is the second fastest river in the world , which draws rafting tourism to this small town from all over the world . Yusufeli is also one of the UN 's designated `` biodiversity hotspots '' . There are over 200 species of butterflies in this region alone . And it is along these lines that the campaign to stop the Yusufeli dam continues . Locals who have worked the land using traditional methods are joining with NGOs and international campaigners to raise the profile of Yusufeli as an area of exceptional importance . Following several campaigns , some European financial backers have withdrawn their support for the dam . This is a problem without a satisfactory answer . Biodiversity is important . And yet if countries like Turkey want to develop , hydro-electricity is a clean , efficient way of doing so . Will Yusufeli dam be built ? Will progress win out over preservation ? Leave your thoughts in the `` Sound off '' box below and click here find out how you can be part of CNN 's Earth 's Frontiers debate next month .
Proposed dam in northeast Turkey could provide abundant power supply . The project would lead to flooding of whole towns in ecologically rich area . Issue is increasingly sensitive as some financial backers pull out of project . Comment: