Protection of forest ecosystems against destruction by human economic activities rests on the legal ordering of these activities. One part of the legislation ordering these activities in Turkey is the Second Item of the Forest Law which regulates exclusion from forest jurisdiction, the parcels of land that have lost their qualities as forests. The study aims to explain this modification of law as a fi eld of struggle by various groups that claim property rights in areas legally defi ned as forests. The study sets these struggles in the context of changing class relations and state transformation. The study takes up two periods, i.e. the period following two landmark laws in the constitution of individual property rights on forest land (1937 and 1945), and the post-1980 period when social relations in Turkey have undergone vast transformations. The study rests on legal documents like laws, regulations, court decisions, and sectoral plans, the Parliamentary Committee Decisions and Parliamentary Discussions, and on second hand data like state reports and statistical data.
Key words: Forest Law, Property Rights, State Transformation Article Language: EnglishTurkish
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