The impact of human activities on nature is increasing day by day along with changing patterns of land use. These changes also influence the level of the expected function of natural ecosystems. Therefore, for the purposes of meeting the needs of a growing population for ecosystem services at optimal levels, it is important to understand and control the factors that affect land use and to control the changes in land use according to the objectives. The aims of this study were to determine land-use patterns in Hasanlar Dam basin per period, analyze the temporal changes in land use according to area, and determine the reasons for the changes in the basin by digitizing the maps of the basin area belonging to the period between 1986 and 2010. Forest land-use patterns were categorized into the following six groups: forest, (deciduous, coniferous, mixed, and degraded), forest gaps, hazelnut, agriculture, pasture, and other areas. The forest area that was 64,843 ha in 1986 had declined to 62,709 ha in 2010. Hazelnut areas covering an area of 3,636 ha in 1986 were represented as agricultural areas in the 2010 stand maps. The agricultural areas that were 8,925 ha in 1986 increased to 15,420 ha in 2010. The pasture areas comprising 267 ha in 1986 decreased to 19 ha in 2010. Other areas decreased from 1,302 ha to 825 ha between 1986 and 2010. Through the Melen project, water is being transported to İstanbul from Hasanlar Dam. Therefore, since changes in the land-use pattern in the Hasanlar Dam basin may affect both water efficiency hydrologically and the quality of water, it is necessary to monitor the changes in forest, agriculture, pasture, forest soil, and other areas and also the changes in the demographic structure. In addition, it must be ensured that these changes cause the minimum impact on water yield and quality.
Cite this paper as: Zengin, H., Özdemir, H.Y., Değermenci, A.S., 2018. Determination of temporal changes in land uses in Hasanlar Dam basin. Forestist 68(1): 53-60