Conserving migratory birds of Turkey: role of the international legal framework.

Turkey has a very unique and important location for migratory birds in terms of geography. The country's 486 bird species include 416 migratory birds, and most of them are listed on an IUCN Red List. Turkey is party to three international conventions (BERN, RAMSAR, and PARIS) related to migratory birds, but it is not party to the BONN Convention or the AEWA, ACAP, and ASEAN agreements aimed at the conservation of migratory species. We tried to determine which species are protected under the conventions and agreements to which Turkey is a party or not. We used a 5-point scoring chart to rate how well Turkish legislation on migratory birds compared with the abovementioned international conventions and agreements. Turkish judiciary on this issue is also analyzed by examining whether the cases in question were in favor of or against the protected bird species.

Public participation in decision-making processes in the planning for nature parks: the case of Istanbul's Belgrad Forest.

Belgrad Forest is one of the most visited forest areas in Istanbul and contains nine nature parks which are open to visitors and very popular. This study examines decision-making processes of the planning for these areas. To measure public participation in and approaches to the decision-making processes, a questionnaire was given to 1.103 visitors. It has been observed that the public does not participate in decision-making processes, although the public does have a role in legislation for the forest. Participants especially wanted to have input were determined to be ways of using the forest and ensuring that safety precautions and cleanliness were addressed. A SWOT analysis was carried out with the responsible groups and discussed approaches to planning, legislation, and implementation. The conclusion was that human pressure on nature parks should be reduced. It was suggested that non-governmental organizations should play an important role in decision-making mechanisms, as should individuals.

State ownership of forests from different angles: policy, economics, and law.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of state ownership in forest governance in Turkey. It seeks to explore how property rights are affected by the complex, dynamic interplay of policies, economic influences, and the law. The historical development of state ownership, including its legal aspects, has been investigated in order to better understand the roots of current issues. An institutional approach has been followed. It is hypothesized that as the state exercises its property rights, it has both positive and negative effects on forest governance. This analysis confirms that state ownership may exceed its implementation capacity under the pressure of economic development objectives and that in areas where economic development is a priority, the loss of forests is inevitable. There is a need for a more adaptive approach to making policies related to property rights. The concept of the overriding public interest could be vital in achieving purposeful governance.

To be "a developed country" or not to be? The effect of the Paris agreement on Turkish forest law.

The Paris Agreement (PA), which is an important step toward mitigating climate change, has ascribed new responsibilities to the signatory parties that differ from those of the Kyoto Protocol (KP). This study is focused on the new responsibilities and the reasons why Turkey has not yet assigned the agreement into its own domestic law, although it was signed on April 22, 2016. There are several political and legal reasons for this, but the most important is Turkey's membership in the OECD as a developed country. Besides, developing countries shall be supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at a $100 billion budget per year. Turkey needs GCF support in terms of technology transfer, capacity building, and financial in order to achieve the agreement's goals. Turkey has demanded privileged status similar to the one in the KP, i.e., whether or not to be deemed as a developed country.The core aim of the PA is to keep global temperature increases below 20 °C by the year 2030, insomuch as to limit temperature increases even further to 1.50 °C. This goal depends on the mitigation of CO2 levels, which means that countries should mitigate GHG emissions caused by deforestation and take further actions by primarily abandoning fossil fuels, improving/attaching importance to energy efficiency, and changing/improving land use planning. Within this context, the second part of the study analyzes the efficiency level of forestry legislation and Turkey's climate policies in terms of the responsibilities to be assigned by the PA. The analysis is based on the question as to what extent the Turkish forestry legislation fulfills the responsibilities ascribed by the PA for preventing deforestation. Consequently, it has been concluded that eight criteria determined by the PA are not adequately included in the Turkish forestry legislation and shall require an amendment on a large scale, particularly when Turkey is deemed as a developed country.

Rural population mobility, deforestation, and urbanization: case of Turkey.

The benefits of the forests are well known and are by their existence alone an amenity. Nonetheless, urbanization as one of the most remarkable features of social development has immense effects on forest resources and land use. In this study, it is hypothesized that there are temporal interactions among the rural population dynamics, urbanization, and forest resources. Data set is based on rural population, total population, and forest areas for the period of 1990-2017. Regression analysis (the ordinary least square, OLS) and dummy variable in regression were used by taking the years into consideration. The coefficient of total population in the regression model developed in our study was positive, which means with the increasing total population, there is an increase in forest areas as well, contrary to common opinion in the literature. With this study, a positive/linear temporal relation between the forest area and urbanization via the regression statistics was determined. There is a significant inverse relation between rural population decline and forest area increase too. Our results provide also a compelling evidence that rural population mobility, afforestation, and forestry policy have strong effects and play an important role over the forest management and forest policy in Turkey.

Relationship between a natural monumental stand in Turkey and local beliefs.

Northbound roads from Ankara, the capital of Turkey pass through immensely wide plains containing almost no trees. There is a small hill above Tuney village located at the right side of the road 80 km north of Ankara, and it is conspicuous by a small forest. How did this forest survive until today? This is a curious question for everybody interested in nature. This study aims to review and analyze two different structures of the area: the local peasants who created a myth for the small forest in question, and the forest itself. Informal interview method was employed to understand the peasants' perception of the forest and to get to know them. Inclination of the field ranges between 12-35 degrees four sample quadrats of 400 m2, which can best represent the constitution they belong to, were taken in order to find out the stand constitutions in the research site and their various silvicultural properties. There are 10 trees having monumental features in this natural stand. The most magnificent of these trees is 15 m, its diameter is 60 cm and it is estimated to be 500 yr old. The small forest studied herein does not owe its survival to the shaman belief in question; otherwise all juniper forests would have remained intact. The small forest is conserved not because juniper is considered sacred, but the local people pay respect to the evliya's grave there. The most significant conclusion deducted from this case study is environmental protection and local beliefs have closer relationships.

Ottoman forestry: socio-economic aspect and its influence today / Otomano florestal: aspecto socioeconômico e sua influência hoje

Forestry is an important subject because it supplies wood and timber for direct human consumption, in addition to its positive effects on global warming and on bio-diversity, with a history dating back to antiquity. As a labor-intensive sector in developing countries, it maintains interactions with natural resources management, public relations and socio-economic structure. It can affect the prosperity of countries either positively or negatively. Hence, an analysis of the history of forestry bears importance because it not only sheds light on its past and present condition, but also explains the improvements for the protection of forests. Accordingly, in the first section of this study, general information on the Ottoman Land System and Ottoman Forestry Organization will be given. In the second section, we will treat 19th century westernization movements, as well as socio-cultural and economic changes. The third section will include significant regulations on forestry, forest management, and administration in the Ottoman Empire; as well as the influence of Ottoman forestry on the actual socio-economic structure. In the final section, under the title discussion and conclusion, Ottoman forestry will be examined regarding its consequences in terms of policy, economy and law.

A silvicultura é um assunto importante, pois o suprimento de madeira em geral e madeira para consumo humano direto, além de seus efeitos positivos sobre o aquecimento global e sobre a diversidade biológica, trata de uma história que remonta à antiguidade. Como um setor de trabalho intensivo nos países em desenvolvimento, mantém interações com a gestão dos recursos naturais, relações públicas e estrutura socioeconômica. Ela pode afetar a prosperidade dos países, seja positiva ou negativamente. Assim, uma análise da história da silvicultura tem importância, porque não só lança luz sobre a sua condição passada e presente, mas também explica as melhorias para a proteção das florestas. Assim, na primeira parte deste estudo, serão dadas informações gerais sobre o Sistema de Terras e Florestas e Organização Otomano. Na segunda seção, serão tratados movimentos da ocidentalização do século 19, bem como alterações socioculturais e econômicas. A terceira seção irá incluir regulamentos significativos na silvicultura, manejo florestal e administração no Império Otomano, bem como a influência da silvicultura Otomano na atual estrutura socioeconômica. Na seção final, no âmbito da discussão do título e conclusão, a silvicultura Otomano será analisada em relação as suas consequências em termos de economia, política e direito.