Ceren Ayas

Decoupling Developmentalism and Environmentalism: Human Nature Conceptualizations in Freshwater Ecosystems Management in Turkey Ceren Ayas

Would it be possible to go one step further than proposing sustainable development as the ultimate answer where people live within nature harmoniously if natural resources were not managed by central authorities, who mostly are male, aged, middle-class bureaucrats? Bearing in mind that we have reached a stage where ecological credit crunch will define human?s limits remarks for non-teleological and eco- friendly ways of conceptualizing the relationship between human beings and nature is explored with an emphasis of ?who? that is local, female, young, social science-based, active in civil movement. The objective of conducting the research is to find out the ways why green approaches in social, political and economic spheres in Turkey are not integrated as a first step to decouple the antagonism in man?s relationship with nature. The analysis tried to grasp the discrepancies of conceptualizing human- nature relationship as well as an attempt to grasp the overall picture in understanding nature-human relationship in Turkey by focusing on wetland management based on the research conducted in Bafa Lake, Uluabat Lake, Salt Lake and Egirdir Lake.