Page 191 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

Bilgi Sarihan - Ramazan Acar Çakır
Aydın Uzun

In this context, plant selection criteria, factors that enhance success in
planting/planting activities, and the adaptation and identification studies of
certain plants are discussed. 3) In the conclusion section, a general evaluation
of the two sections is made, and recommendations are provided.

2. Main Issues in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas

2.1. Desertification Sensitivity

Desertification occurs as a result of land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and
sub-humid areas, driven not only by the impacts of climate change but also
by human activities. Desertification, driven by factors of land degradation
(such as human activities, drought, soil erosion, and barrenness), directly or
indirectly affects the living conditions of approximately 1.2 billion people
worldwide (IPCC, 2013). Desertification develops as a chain reaction influenced
by drought, soil erosion, barrenness, human impacts, global warming, and
climate change, each interacting with the others (Karagöz et al., 2015).
In the arid and semi-arid regions of our country, where drought is becoming
increasingly evident, the lack of rainfall during the growing season poses a
significant barrier to plant cultivation. Although the total annual rainfall may be
close to the long-term averages in terms of quantity, climate change has led
to sudden and intense rainfall during the vegetation season, and this prevents
rainwater from infiltrating the soil, causing surface runoff. The inability of
rainwater to be stored in the soil, coupled with rising temperatures and dry winds
increasing evaporation (vaporization) rates, results in soil moisture deficiency,
severely limiting the water availability required for plants’ vital functions.
In today’s context of meteorological drought, followed by agricultural
drought, the rapidly increasing demand for settlements, food, and feed
sources brings about various negative causes and consequences. Improper
land use and faulty agricultural practices (such as excessive use of chemicals,
collective fallowing, monocultural agriculture, inefficient irrigation, extended
tillage during windy seasons, stubble burning, clearing of field-edge shrubs,
and water drilling) lead to the depletion of water resources and the barrenness
of agricultural lands. In pasture lands, which are predominantly located in arid
and semi-arid areas, practices such as overgrazing, untimely and unplanned
grazing, the use of inappropriate plant species in improvement efforts, illegal
grazing, and the misuse of pasture lands for non-intended purposes, all
contribute to exacerbating the problems in these areas to dangerous levels.
It is clear that the soils of Central Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia,
being unprotected against soil erosion and compounded by ongoing land
degradation, are at risk of facing desertification.

178 Journal of Environment, Urban and Climate