Page 298 - 7. State Of Environment Report Of Türkiye

degraded forest areas and pasture reclamation works have been carried out in an area of 9.72
million hectares as of the end of 2023. In the period of 1946-2023, afforestation was carried out
in 2,559,083 hectares of land, and erosion control work was carried out in 1,687,503 hectares
of land as of the end of 2023, and in the period of 1992-2023, rehabilitation was carried out in
3,445,272 hectares of land, and pasture improvement work was carried out in 307,031 hectares
of land as of the end of 2023.

Various laws have been enacted to date for the protection of soil. These are Article 44 of the
Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye, Law No. 5488 on Agriculture, Law No. 5403 on Soil Prote-
ction and Land Use, Law No. 4342 on Pastures, Law No. 6831 on Forests, Law No. 4142 on National
Afforestation and Erosion Control Mobilization, and Law No. 2872 on the Environment. Within
the framework of the law, relevant institutions and organizations carry out projects to combat
erosion.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies
(TAGEM) Studies

Climate change and disrupted precipitation balance due to global warming have increased the
frequency of unusual meteorological events. This has further increased the risk of land degra-
dation and erosion in agricultural lands and pastures in the highly vulnerable regions of Türkiye.
Within this framework, in Konya-Karapınar region where wind erosion is most common, Medi-
terranean, Aegean and Central Anatolia, Eastern Anatolia and Black Sea Transition Regions, land
protection and erosion preventive soil tillage and protective cover projects are carried out in
agricultural and pasture lands, and land degradation trends in different land uses - vegetation
changes, effects of wind erosion and sediment transport. With 5 projects carried out in Konya,
Aksaray and Tokat provinces where wind erosion and sediment transport are high in arid and
semi-arid areas, the amount of sediment moved by wind, its distribution according to years and
the seasonal effect on the relationship between soil properties and dry aggregates, the effects of
soil tillage and rotation systems on some physical properties of the soil, erosion and sediment/
soil transport were determined and suggestions were developed that include minimum soil
losses.

Regional studies on determining the effects of climate change on land degradation, processes in
ensuring the deterioration and recovery of land productivity dynamics, determination of carbon
sequestration and erosion sensitivity dynamics in pasture and agricultural soils, determination
of phosphorus pollution carried by sediment with models are ongoing. “Research Project on
Change, Effects and Environmental Assessment of Land Degradation in Manisa Akselendi Plain
Affected by Wind Erosion” was completed in 2020 and the final report was published. With
the study, land degradation and land transformation maps in the plain were obtained, and land
change and degradation maps, temporal changes and environmental effects in dune areas, are-
as lost due to wind erosion, and agricultural gains in the process were presented in detail.

The “Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon and Physical Soil Degradation Indicators under Future
Climate Conditions” Project continues regionally in the Black Sea Region. Within the scope of
the guided project “Determination of Soil and Water Loss in Scots Pine Stands with Different
Closures, Çamlıdere and Erdemli Example”, research activities have been completed and the fi-
nal report of the project has been prepared. The “Geographic Information System Modeling and
Agricultural Land Use Plan - Vezirköprü Example Project” carried out in the Vezirköprü District

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