Page 147 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 1

Dalya Hazar Kalonya

into “natural/ecological” places such as forests and pastures, and “human-
made/urban” places such as public places and public transport, which can be
defined as “public goods” (Ostrom, 2010; Hazar and Velibeyoğlu, 2018).
The pressure for enclosure/privatization and transformation of commons
dates back to the “enclosure movements” of primitive accumulation which
started in the 17th century England countryside (Marx, 1867). This process has
continued, especially from 1980s on with the enclosure of farms, forests,
pastures, and coastal areas in favor of construction, mining and energy sectors
through neoliberal policies (Figure 1) (Benlisoy, 2014).

Figure 1: Quarry on Pasture, Çaltılıdere Village, Aliağa (Personal Archive, 2017)
The biggest dilemma to be faced by agricultural sector in the upcoming
years is how to meet the needs for feeding the increasing population while
also protecting land and water resources (Cassman et al, 2003; Tubiello et
al, 2007). The “resource-pessimist” views that natural/ecological commons
will rapidly disappear in the face of rapid population growth are based on
the essay, “On the Principle of Population” (1789) by Malthus. In his study,
“The Tragedy of the Commons”, the neo-Malthusian ecologist Hardin (1968)
mentions that natural/ecological commons can be protected against rapid
population growth only in two ways: privatization and state control (Hardin,
1968; Urdal, 2005).

132 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate,