Forest fire and law: an analysis of Turkish forest fire legislation based on Food and Agriculture Organization criteria

Abstract

Background Because of climate and forest vegetation, Turkey has regions (particularly the Mediterranean and Aegean regions) that are vulnerable to forest fires. Approximately 2000 forest fires have occurred every year for the last 20 years, with at least 48% of them caused by humans. This percentage increases to 71% when the rates of fires of unknown causes are included. In this study, legislation on Turkish forest fires was analyzed based on the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) guide, “Forest Fires and the Law.” The guide was prepared by expert lawyers and addresses the basic topics of definitions; institutional setup and interinstitutional coordination planning, monitoring, and assessment; prevention and preparedness; detection and early warning and suppression; participatory and community-based approaches to fire management; fire use; rehabilitation; and law enforcement. The objective of this study was to reveal the current status of Turkish forestry legislation and its practices based on the FAO guide. Results According to our analysis, Turkish forestry legislation has followed the FAO criteria 78.1% of the time. It is clear that effective regulations exist, with the Turkish Constitution being the foremost touchstone. The results illustrate that, no matter how strong the legislation is, a deficiency in administrative measures and a lack of public awareness make combating forest fires unsuccessful. Conclusions The areas that need to be improved have been determined to be definitions, participatory and community-based approaches to fire management, and creating a fire line. A focus on public participation and the social approach is needed.

Socio-economic factors influencing household dependency on forests: an empirical evidence from Turkey

“…Under Turkish law, forest offenses are not entitled to any type of remission (i.e., no general or special amnesty can be granted). Article 169, third paragraph of the Turkish Constitution specifies that no general or individual remission would be allowed for all forms of forest offenses (Elvan et al, 2021). Migration of forest residents from villages to cities continues.…”

Assessment of air quality during worst wildfires in Turkey

“…During the last 20 years, about 2000 forest res had observed every year in Turkey, among them 48% caused by humans (Atasoy & Geçen, 2014;Elvan et al, 2021). However, when the res rate of unknown causes is incorporated, this percentage rises to 71% (Elvan et al, 2021).…”

“…During the last 20 years, about 2000 forest res had observed every year in Turkey, among them 48% caused by humans (Atasoy & Geçen, 2014;Elvan et al, 2021). However, when the res rate of unknown causes is incorporated, this percentage rises to 71% (Elvan et al, 2021). Open neighborhoods in Turkey can spread the forest re rapidly and burn the burnable materials, e.g., bushes, grasses, leaves, thick or thin branches, and tress.…”

“…AOD can utilize for human health, air quality, navigation management, ecosystem, climatological, and meteorological assessment (Sowden et al, 2018). Various wild re events in the Turkey (Elvan et al, 2021), United States (US), Australia, and Brazil have gained greater concentration due to their impacts on air quality and human health (Butt et al, 2020;H. et al, 2020).…”

“…Forest vegetation and climatic condition in Turkey make it vulnerable to forest res (Elvan et al, 2021).…”