Assessment of the completion of the forest cadastre considering the legal grounds, collaboration, and the use of technology: The case of Turkey

Abstract

The forests are among the natural resources that have important economic, environmental, and cultural functions. However, global problems, which have been increasing each passing day, such as industrialization, increasing urban population, global climate change, and destruction of biodiversity also threaten forests. The first condition for the protection of forests and carrying out forestry activities is the demarcation of forest boundaries and the registration of the forests. The forest cadastre has remained a major issue on Turkey’s agenda for years. In this article, the process beginning with the demarcation of the forest boundaries until their registration in the land registry system was reviewed and assessed considering the institutional and legal frameworks and amendments, technology use, the collaboration between institutions, and the participation of the private sector. As a result of this collaboration, the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre and the General Directorate of Forestry together with the participation of the private sector completed the forest cadastre of 6,246,845 hectares in eight years between 2010 and 2017. Moreover, the registration of 82.52% of these lands was completed. Besides, solutions were proposed for other countries experiencing the same problem within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.