Sustainable Development in Mountainous Areas: Relimitation of Mountain Areas in Giresun Province and A Socio-Economic Analysis

The integration of sustainability to the concept of development and the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations added another dimension to the relationship between human and environment. The Brundtland Report and Agenda 21 report published in 1987 and 1992, respectively, diversified the mountainous area approaches and they have become a research subject for sustainability research. Studying developmental aspects of sustainability approaches towards mountainous areas and determining their limits have posed challenges since the beginning. Recently, these impediments are overcome by various Geographic Information Systems and criteria for mountainous area relimitations based on environmental and topographic characteristics. However, socio-economic assessments for the mountainous area relimitations are yet to be performed. This article highlights the importance of international and national scale in, several relimitation projects and analysis of Giresun’s mountainous areas focusing on topographical and the socioeconomic characteristics. A three-step approach has been adopted for socio-economic analysis of mountainous areas. The first step is the introduction of the physical integrity of the mountainous areas and the natural environmental conditions. The second is to determine the boundaries of mountainous areas and zones affected by mountainous areas in social and economic terms by adhering to natural conditions. Third, the socio-economic analysis of the mountainous areas in Giresun Province through 11 criteria. An assessment proposal based on socio-economic characteristics regarding human-nature interactions in mountainous areas has been presented, as well. The diversity of aspects that affect the sustainability of mountainous areas is explained with practical examples.