Page 202 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

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

Figure 8: Before 2004, the Iğdır-Aralık wind erosion area and its natural vegetation;
Ephedra Distachya (Iğdır Provincial Directorate of Environment and
Forestry Archive, 2010).
In our country, a significant portion of roughage sources is comprised
of grassland and pasture areas. In our lands, where animal production is
largely dependent on natural pasture areas, we encounter pastures that have
been degraded due to misuse without any improvement efforts, resulting
in a significant reduction in biomass production (Tarman, 1972). It has
been revealed that 70% of the pasture lands in our country have degraded
vegetation, and as a result, soil conservation in these areas is not very feasible
(Erkun, 1999). Especially in pasture lands located in arid areas, the vegetation
has been worn down, the land has become highly sensitive to wind erosion,
the soil cover has been damaged by erosion, and the land has turned into an
infertile state where even naturally resistant herbaceous species can no longer
grow (Bakır and Açıkgöz, 1976).
Pastures, which are rural ecological commons, are significant carbon sinks
when evaluated in terms of their roles in biodiversity, erosion prevention, food
sovereignty, and local sustainable development, as well as in the process of
climate change mitigation and adaptation. It is estimated that more than 10%
of the global carbon stock is stored in pasture lands (Anderson, 1991). It is
estimated that approximately 200-300 billion tons (Pg) of CO2 carbon sink is
found in pasture lands (Batjes and Sombroek, 1997). It is emphasized that, as
a result of climate change, carbon absorption may decrease due to drought;
however, carbon sequestration can be increased through sustainable land
rehabilitation efforts. In the improvement of pasture lands in our country,
which have a fragile structure, there is a need for biomass enhancement
practices with suitable plants, considering rural development and climate
change adaptation strategies.

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Special Issue / 2024