Lower Seyhan plain today past land use changes in the geographic information systems and remote sensing with determination

LANDSAT images of different dates were supervised and interpreted for plant/crop cover and intensity. Earlier studies were compared to the contemporary for the final evaluation of historical land use changes.Remote sensing and Geographical Information System Technologies were used in order to determine the land use changes in the settlement and cultivated areas as well as the coastal land strip.A shift to agriculture and reforestation was determined especially on the sand dunes of the coastal strip seeking income generation as well as mitigating wind erosion, whereas the increased trend of irrigation, has been bound to socio-economic trends and cultural changes causing the shifts in the crop patterns in the Lower Seyhan Plain (LSP). Despite the foreseen target in allocating 20 % of the land of the LSP to animal fodder, the unexpected decrease in the projected animal husbandry, has been the main cause in the failure in reaching the foreseen 20 % land allocation to fodder production together with all the other shifts in the projected development of land use, which were due to the lack in subsidies, inceased internal migration and cultural changes