Examination of Sensitive Forests Concept over Oriental (Anatolian) Sweetgum Forests in Nature Conservation

In conservation science, conservation starts with identification of species or natural sites of protected area. Conservation may not be complete or adequate if this requirement is not met, ‘Sensitive natural area’ is defined in the nature conservation literature as a terrestrial or aquatic area or other fragile natural setting with unique or highly-valued environmental features. However, no valid definations have been set for sensitive forests and sensitive coppices despite the number management problems these forest have been faced. The concept is different from the concept of Precision Forestry, which is a forest planning technique. In this study, sensitive forests are identified and their differences from the other similar natural forest ecosystems were stated. Oriental (Anatolian) Sweetgum Forests which are relict endemic and rare forests for Turkey, were exemplified as a case study to articulate the concept of sensitive forest structure. K？yce？iz-Dalyan Unique Environmental Protected Area is chosen as a study area for this research. Some basic examples that could be considered as sensitive forests were offered from Turkey. Various conservation methods were developed to protect those areas adequately. As the concept is very new, identifications, study areas, conservation methods, and strategies, presented in the study, need imroving and furher developing