Page 113 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

Zehra Kavakli Karataş

1. Introduction

Desertification is defined as the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and
dry sub-humid areas as a result of human activities and climate change (Ma
and Zhao, 1994). Dryland ecosystems, which cover more than one-third of the
world’s land area, are subject to desertification because of overexploitation
and land misuse (UNEP, 1992). Therefore, desertification is one of the
most important environmental and socioeconomic problems of the world,
threatening regional ecological security and limiting economic development
at the national level through reduced soil fertility and degraded vegetation
(Helldén and Tottrup, 2008; Xu and Zhang, 2021). According to the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), about 10-20% of
drylands are degraded and the total area affected by desertification ranges
from 6 to 12 million km². Approximately 1-6% of people living in drylands live
in desertified areas, while more than one billion people are under the threat
of desertification.
The studies on the concept of desertification were initiated by the United
Nations in the 1970s and have become increasingly important with the rapid
increase in population, land use and socioeconomic changes. In this context,
it was agreed to establish an international committee that could lead the
combat against this issue and offer solutions and new approaches in this
field, and the “Council to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)” was established
in the countries under the threat of desertification (United Nations, 1994).
The Convention to Combat Desertification, which was first adopted in 1992
with the signature of 192 countries, was published and 193 countries became
parties to it in 2009. Türkiye officially became a party to the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1998 (Mutlu et al., 2013).
In Türkiye, desertification is generally caused by land misuse, overgrazing,
forest fires, urbanization, industry, genetic erosion, soil erosion, salinization
and uncontrolled wild plant collection. Türkiye has a special place globally in
terms of desertification because of its biodiversity, agricultural potential, high
population, social and economic structure, topographical factors and strategic
regional location (Camci et al., 2007). According to Uzuner and Dengiz (2020),
the lands in Türkiye are exposed to degradation and desertification due to soil
problems such as lack of organic matter, salinity-alkalinity, erosion and loss of
biological productivity. The quality of water and soil resources in Türkiye has
been affected by rapid population growth and industrialization, especially in
agricultural areas, as well as increasing demands on technology and changes
in socioeconomic and legal conditions. Therefore, the most fundamental way
to deal with the effects of climate change on desertification is to monitor
desertification processes (Türkes, M. (1999).

100 Journal of Environment, Urban and Climate