Page 192 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

Use of Climate-Resilient Plants in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands

Desertification in the region, which negatively impacts the natural
environment, humans, and other living beings, causes ecological and
economic losses, threatening vital activities such as food and water shortages,
disease, unemployment, and migration.
In the model that uses climate, water, soil, land cover, topography and
geomorphology, socio-economic, and management criteria, the “Desertification
Sensitivity Map of Türkiye” (Figure 2), developed in collaboration between
ÇEMGM and TÜBİTAK-BİLGEM, shows that the areas most susceptible to
desertification are particularly concentrated in the regions of Central Anatolia and
Southeastern Anatolia, where dry and semi-arid areas, as indicated by drought
indixes, are present. In our country, 22.5% is under high risk of desertification,
50.9% is in the moderate risk group, and 18% falls under the low sensitivity group
(ÇEM, 2015). In Türkiye, only 0.36% of forest areas are highly sensitive to
desertification, while 30.79% are moderately sensitive and 68.86% have low
sensitivity to desertification. In agricultural areas, the sensitivity to desertification
is higher; approximately 26.25% of agricultural lands are highly sensitive, 64.77%
are moderately sensitive, and 8.98% are low in sensitivity to desertification.
Approximately 34.56% of pasture lands are highly sensitive to desertification,
52.45% are moderately sensitive, and 12.99% have low sensitivity to desertification.
Regions with semi-arid climate characteristics, such as Konya, constitute the
dangerous (dark red warning) areas under the threat of desertification. Konya-
Karapınar, Iğdır-Aralık, and Urfa-Ceylanpınar are seen as areas with very high
sensitivity, while the Tuz Gölü basin, Ereğli-Karaman region, Urfa-Ceylanpınar-
Mardin-Batman line, and the area around Eskişehir form the moderate to high
sensitivity group (ÇEM, 2015).

AEGEAN
SEA

Figure 2: Desertification Sensitivity Map of Türkiye (ÇEM, 2015)

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Special Issue / 2024