Abstract:

Pieces of land around the world have been physiologically affected by the changes that have occurred to meet basic needs such as industry, transportation, and settlement since ancient times. These changes also reveal differences in land cover. Land classes concerning nature can be evaluated in four categories: built areas, green areas, semi-natural areas, and natural areas. This study was carried out to reveal the change over time in the existing land use classes of Belen district of Hatay, located in the south of the Eastern Mediterranean. Belen has been chosen as the study area due to its strategic importance for the economy of the city and its diversity in terms of land classification. The study was carried out in 3 stages. In the first stage, the related literature was reviewed; studies on land classes of other cities by using CORINE data were brought together. In the second stage, the spatio-temporal change of the land use classes of Belen district between 1990-2018 was revealed by the analysis of the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) data. Thus, Belen's land use classes were evaluated under the titles of "Built Areas, Agricultural Areas, Natural Areas, Wetlands, and Water Bodies"; quantitative-qualitative data are presented within the scope of urban fabric, agricultural structure/forest existence, and changes in protected areas. In the third stage, all data were evaluated and recommendation were made regarding the alteration’s effects in the field over the course of 28 years on the natural and built environment. As a result of the study, it has been observed that the changes in the district of Belen are particularly important for the persistence of the biodiversity/ecological balance on the natural and protected areas. For this reason, in future decisions to be made for the urban, importance should be given to the conservation of agricultural areas, stabilization of natural-semi natural area, and the cooperation of local administrations and public institutions with the experts of the subject to ensure the sustainability of the protected areas.

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