Page 119 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

Zehra Kavakli Karataş

3. The Desertification Model and Vulnerability Map of Türkiye

Türkiye is a country with arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas as defined in
the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Türkiye is under
the threat of desertification and drought due to its climate characteristics
and topographical structure. For these reasons, Türkiye is one of the critical
countries in terms of desertification (Development of the Basin Monitoring
and Evaluation System (HIDS) Project, Türkiye Desertification Report, 2015).
In order to identify the areas vulnerable to desertification in Türkiye,
desertification criteria and indicators are firstly required to be determined
accurately. In this way, it will be possible to achieve more accurate and
effective outcomes in efforts to combat desertification. For this purpose,
the desertification criteria and indicators specific to Türkiye have been
determined, and a desertification model has been developed in line with
these data, and the Desertification Vulnerability Map of Türkiye has been
produced. Many studies on desertification have been conducted in Türkiye
and various approaches have been put forward by using different methods in
these studies (HIDS-Türkiye Desertification Report, 2015).
The Desertification Model and Vulnerability Map of Türkiye were developed in
2015 in cooperation with the General Directorate of Combating Desertification
and Erosion and TUBITAK- BILGEM in order to indicate the vulnerability of Türkiye
to desertification. The aim here was to determine the desertification criteria and
indicators specific to Türkiye and to present the desertification model specific to
it. During the development of the Desertification Model of Türkiye, 52 models,
national legislation and international conventions were examined and analysed
in great detail (HIDS-Türkiye Desertification Report, 2015).
The weighted layers produced by the model are mapped using geographic
information systems (Türkeş et al., 2019). The point data used in this study
were generated in raster format with a resolution of 90x90 m through
geostatistical method. Similarly, 90x90 m conversion to raster data format was
ensured according to the attribute information to be used in the data model
presented in the polygon data type (Türkeş et al., 2020).
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used for creating this
model, as determined by the opinion of experts on the subject identified
before. Seven criteria, 48 indicators and 37 sub-indicators suitable for Türkiye
were identified and these criteria were determined, by their priority, as Climate,
Water, Soil, Land Cover and Land Use, Topography and Geomorphology,
Socio-economy and Management (Table 1). While applying the AHP method,
inconsistencies may arise due to human influence. In this context, Saaty (1980)
concluded that if the consistency ratio value is equal to or less than 10%,

106 Journal of Environment, Urban and Climate