Forest offences in 21st Century Turkey (with the example for the offender and trial period of illegal use of the forests in Istanbul)

Abstract

Turkey's forests are under supervision and control of the state. The applicable Forestry Law decides which acts would be considered as forest offences and the punishment for them. In the study, the acts described as crimes have been explained by considering them within the framework of criminal law. Misdemeanors have been excluded and only crimes have been examined. Major forest offences have tried to be explained through statistical data and information related to perpetrators of the crime; the trial period and court judgments have been presented as a result of file observations in Istanbul. It has been observed that the increase in forest offences in Turkey changes depending on the country's economic structure and the changes in legislation. These offences have also been found to be in decline as of late. It can be stated that adjudications have been concluded more immediately. However, there are still doubts about the penalties' not being deterrent enough. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.