An ecological approach to the restoration of forest land that is destroyed and open to agriculture: Catalan example

In this research, it is aimed to regain the forest land that was opened to agriculture, to create a database to encourage alternative forestry applications, and to bring local level suggestions for restoration, with the goal of eliminating water pollution in the Çatalan Damregion of Karaisal , Adana. This work will help to determine plant species that are compatible with the natural vegetation based on local ecology, while removing the current agricultural practices around the Çatalan Damreservoir. After evaluating the field observations, naturally spreading plant species were determined, and potential vegetation in agricultural lands with similar site conditions and destroyed forest lands was comparatively estimated. As a result of the research, restoration oriented suggestions were brought, and a local-ecosystem-compatible application model that will contribute to both the regeneration of natural plant species and harvesting non-timber forest products was proposed. Keywords: Çatalan Dam, Ecological Agriculture, Functional Planning of Forest Land, Forest Vegetation, Non-timber Forest Products.