Evaluation of Forest Crimes in Turkey

The forest assets of our country, known as 22,9 million hectares, are under various threats and the most important source of these threats is people. Most of the damages caused by human interventions in forests are caused by forest villagers living in rural areas. These actions, which are called forest crimes, are still seen in our country and stand before us as a problem. forest crime; It has been considered as all actions that threaten the future of forest assets, violate regular and continuous use, and therefore endanger this national wealth. At first glance, forest crimes can be understood by many as cutting trees, clearing and burning the forest, and may seem simple and few in number. In this study, forest crimes committed in Turkey between 1988-2019; It has been discussed in terms of criminal headings such as illegal cutting of forest trees, illegal transportation of forest products, illegal opening of forest areas, illegal occupation of forest areas, illegal use of forest areas, and grazing without permission. In addition, by giving statistical information about the related crimes, suggestions have been made about the causes of these crimes and what needs to be done to prevent crimes.