Land Use/Change and Local Population Movements in Stone Pine Forests: A Case Study of Western Türkiye

One of the important distribution areas of stone pine (Pinus pinea L.), a native tree species of the Mediterranean Basin in Türkiye, is the Kozak Basin. Pine nut production plays an important role in the livelihood of the rural people of the Kozak Basin. However, in recent years, as a result of mining activities, climate change, and damage caused by the alien invasive species, the western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann 1910 (Hemiptera; Coreidae), the decrease in cone and seed yield in the basin has reached significant dimensions. This process has caused the local people’s income sources to decrease. In this study, land use and land cover (LULC) changes and population changes in the Kozak Basin were discussed during the process, where changing forest land functions, especially economic effects, triggered vulnerable communities due to various factors such as climate change and insect damage. LULC classes of the Kozak Basin and their changes in three time periods are presented using the maximum likelihood method. In addition, the exponential population growth rates of the local people in three different time periods were calculated and these rates were interpolated in the spatial plane with a Kriging analysis. In conclusion, the responses of vulnerable communities to the cone and seed yield decline in the Kozak Basin are manifested by LULC changes and migration from the basin. Therefore, in the management of P. pinea areas, the creation of regulations within the framework of sustainability understanding regardless of ownership difference, stakeholder participatory approach management, close monitoring of ecological events occurring in the basin, awareness of vulnerable communities, and alternative livelihoods can be supported.