Widespread deforestation for agriculture, shipbuilding, and fuel in the Ottoman Empire during the 17th century led to soil erosion, reduced water retention, and increased flooding in Anatolia and the Balkans. These changes strained rural economies and contributed to regional instabilities.

Ottoman divan poetry and folk traditions incorporated pastoral laments that evolved with environmental awareness, influencing later Turkish and Middle Eastern poets addressing land loss. It parallels themes in broader Islamic literary responses to ecological shifts.