Investigation of the social effects of FSC forest management certificate on forest villagers living in Köyceğiz district

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, developed within the framework of sustainable natural resource management, represents a holistic system that integrates environmental, economic, and social dimensions in forestry practices. This study aims to examine the social impacts of FSC practices through the case of forest villagers residing in Köyceğiz district, Muğla province. Within the scope of the research, face-to-face surveys were conducted in 2025 with 471 individuals living in 12 forest villages of Köyceğiz. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software package. Due to the non-normal distribution of the data, non-parametric statistical tests such as the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis H test were employed. The findings reveal that a significant proportion of participants lack sufficient knowledge about FSC. Nonetheless, positive perceptions were observed regarding environmental protection (61.8%) and education-awareness (55%) components. Statistically significant differences were identified in relation to gender and age groups regarding the variables of quality of life (p=0.003), income increase (p=0.004), and employment opportunities (p=0.001) (p<0.05). These results suggest that FSC practices generate more visible impacts in environmental and educational aspects, whereas their economic contributions remain relatively limited. In conclusion, enhancing the social effectiveness of FSC requires strengthening local participation, expanding awareness and information activities, and ensuring transparency in governance processes.