Page 33 - Çevre Şehir ve İklim Dergisi İngilizce - Özel Sayı

Zeynep Cansu Ayturan - Tuğba Dinçbaş
Halil Hasar

1. Introduction

Desertification and erosion, combined with climate change on a global
scale, appear as two key problems that threaten ecological balances and cause
significant disruptions in the structure of societies. These are felt intensely in
the regions vulnerable to climate change, in particular, such as Türkiye and have
a profound impact on the sustainable use of natural resources and economic
development goals. Desertification, mainly as a result of a combination of
human activities and natural processes, causes fertile soils to become arid,
while erosion accelerates soil losses by eroding the upper layers of the soil by
water and wind (Cangir & Erdem, 2008; Çarkacı et al., 2013). Climate change
triggers these processes, expedites them further and expands their negative
effects over a wide geographical area.
Türkiye, as a country located in the Mediterranean climate zone and having
agriculture-based economies, especially in its rural regions, is seriously
affected by these problems. Climate change threatens agricultural production
by causing water resources to decrease and extreme weather events such as
drought occurring frequently (Özyol, 2022). Similarly, it leads to devastating
effects on the ecosystem, such as soil structure degradation, deforestation
and biodiversity reduction. The long-term effects of these processes not only
threaten the sustainability of local ecosystems, but also exacerbate climate
change by contributing to the global carbon cycle (Alam, 2017).
Taking into account the social impacts, the devastating consequences of
desertification and erosion are becoming increasingly apparent, especially in
vulnerable communities. The loss of soil fertility in rural areas, where agriculture
and animal husbandry are the means of living, leads to the depletion of livelihoods
and increasing economic challenges. This situation accelerates urbanization by
triggering domestic migration movements and leads to deepening of social
inequalities. Moreover, water scarcity caused by desertification and erosion
negatively affects public health and quality of life, leading to increased social
tensions regarding the access to water (UNCCD, 2021). These problems,
especially in developing countries, challenge with governments’ social welfare
policies and endanger their social and economic development goals.
Türkiye’s efforts to combat desertification and erosion in the context of its
national commitments within the framework of the Paris Climate Agreement
and its 2053 net zero emission targets have become an important part of its
climate change adaptation policies. The preservation of Türkiye’s agricultural
activities and forests is of critical importance not only in terms of domestic
economic and ecological sustainability, but also in terms of contributing
to global climate goals (Özkan, 2021). In this regard, enhancing the carbon

20 Journal of Environment, Urban and Climate