Land use - State and impacts (Turkey)

Land use causes previously unobserved changes in the appearance of the land, the ecosystems and the environment. Lack of land use plans leads to the use of agricultural fields in unintended ways, for example destruction of forest and wetland and of coastal areas with a natural character. In relation to this, the establishment of residential areas and industrial areas on productive agricultural fields can have outcomes such as destruction of ecological balance, climate change, decrease in biological diversity, and land and air pollution. 

Comprehensive land use plans will also provide solutions for strategic issues, such as food supply through sustainable agricultural management. Hence, types of land use will then be planned at the most ecologically suitable locations, thus increasing productivity and preventing a negative effect on agricultural potential by other kinds of usage (agricultural industry, industrial areas, settlements, etc.).

Table 1: Land Cover Classes