A delineable area of the Earth’s terrestrial surface, encompassing all attributes of the biosphere immediately above or below this surface, including those of the near-surface climate, the soil and terrain forms, the surface hydrology (including shallow lakes, rivers, marshes and swamps), the near-surface sedimentary layers and associated groundwater reserve, the plant and animal populations, the human settlement pattern, and the physical results of past and present human activity such as terracing, water storage and drainage structures, infrastructure, and buildings. (FAO. 2025. The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2025 – The potential to produce more and better. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd7488en)
Legally regulated procedure led by a public authority and used to adjust the property structure in rural areas through a comprehensive reallocation of parcels, coordinated between landowners and users in order to reduce land fragmentation, facilitate farm enlargement and/or achieve other public objectives, including nature restoration and construction of infrastructure. (Veršinskas, T., Vidar, M., Hartvigsen, M., Mitic Arsova, K., van Holst, F. and Gorgan, M. 2020. Legal guide on land consolidation: Based on regulatory practices in Europe. FAO Legal Guide, No. 3. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9520en Cited 25 April 2023)
Bilecik Province (Turkish: Bilecik ili) is a province in midwest Turkey, neighboring Bursa to the west, Kocaeli and Sakarya to the north, Bolu to the east, Eskişehir to the southeast and Kütahya to the south, spanning an area of 4,307 km². (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilecik_Province)
