Migration: An Irreversible Impact of Land Degradation in Turkey

Kapur, Selım; Akça, Erhan; Kapur, Burçak; Öztürk, Arda

doi:10.1007/1-4020-3760-0_12

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…It aims to prevent land degradation and remediate degraded land to a productive and stable state such that there is no net loss in the amount of natural capital between 2015 (when the Sustainable Development Goals were agreed) and the target year of 2030 (Cowie et al, 2018: 29). The achievement of LDN also underpins the long-term achievement of several other SDGs, such as SDG 13 on climate action and SDG 1 on poverty alleviation through the intersections of food, water, migration, con ict, energy security, human health and biodiversity loss (Kapur et al, 2006;Sietz et al, : 2308Wunder and Bodle, 2019: 46).…”

Section: Land Degradation Neutralitymentioning

confidence: 99%

How Do We Know When We Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality in Forests? A Systematic Review

Rabl,

Buttie,

Green

et al. 2023

Reinvention

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This systematic review develops a comprehensive understanding of how land degradation is measured with respect to forests, and what qualitative and quantitative methods are being utilised in the pursuit of land degradation neutrality (LDN) generally. Scopus and Environmental Abstracts (EVA) databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies from 1998–2021 using key search terms including ‘land degradation neutrality’, ‘soil’ and ‘forest’. Of the 53 included studies, most articles (n = 25) are experimental reports, and the next most common classification (n = 14) is literature reviews. Studies tended to be longitudinal (mean length of 15.4 years) and Eurasia-centric. Almost all extant research focuses on the indicators rather than the drivers of land degradation. Choosing indicators to measure remains contentious; however, most research uses those prescribed by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification: land cover, net primary productivity and soil organic carbon. Despite this convergence around which indicators to monitor, there is no standardisation in the methods used to do so. Therefore, no meaningful comparison between countries or even studies can be made. This lack of standardisation and bias towards indicators instead of drivers is important because, under the current paradigm, land managers seeking to prevent or offset forest degradation cannot do so with any certainty. Until these issues are addressed, it will be impossible to track progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15.3 for global LDN, and large-scale conservation work in this area is based on guesswork. How will we know when we achieve LDN in forests, globally? Based on current research, we will not. Future research must seek standardised ways to quantify land degradation based on its drivers: erosion, urbanisation and human activity, drought and desertification, and pollution.

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Section: Land Degradation Neutralitymentioning

confidence: 99%

How Do We Know When We Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality in Forests? A Systematic Review

Rabl,

Buttie,

Green

et al. 2023

Reinvention

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Deforestation, conventional tillage practices and improper irrigation management have led to increasing rates of soil erosion for a long time in Turkey [50]. Continuing loss of soil functions is now threatening some of the country's most fertile agricultural fields.…”

Section: Soil Erosionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sealing of soils through urban and industrial development, such as the construction of roads, houses, industrial premises, and sporting facilities in Turkey began in the 1950s and accelerated through the 1960s due to the lack of legal enforcement to prevent conversion of agricultural lands, unplanned industrial sprawl upon agricultural and natural areas, and increased population growth [50,72]. The most striking change in demographic structure of Turkey from 1927, when the first consensus of the Turkish Republic was made, to 2011 was the high population increase in urban regions and the decrease in rural areas.…”

Section: Soil Sealingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threats to Sustainability of Soil Functions in Central and Southeast Europe

et al. 2015

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Abstract:A diverse topography along with deforestation, changing climatic conditions, long-term human settlement, overuse of agricultural lands without sustainable planning, cultural difficulties in accepting conservative land management practices, and wrong political decisions have increased the vulnerability of many soils to degradation and resulted in a serious decline in their functional capacity. A progressive reduction in the capacity of soils to support plant productivity is not only a threat in the African continent and its large desert zone, but also in several parts of Central and Southeastern Europe (CASEE). The loss of soil functions throughout CASEE is mainly related to the human activities that have profound influence on soil dynamic characteristics. Improper management of soils has made them more vulnerable to degradation through water and wind erosion, organic matter depletion, salinity, acidification, crusting and sealing, and OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 2162 compaction. Unmitigated degradation has substantial implications for long term sustainability of the soils' capability to support human communities and resist desertification. If sustainable agricultural and land management practices are not identified, well understood and implemented, the decline in soil quality will continue and probably accelerate. The lack of uniform criteria for the assessment and evaluation of soil quality in CASEE countries prevents scientific assessments to determine if existing management practices are leading to soil quality improvement, or if not, what management practices should be recommended to mitigate and reverse the loss of soil health.

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“…Evidence of historical degradation has been found in hotspots of ancient civilizations and migration, such as regions of former Maya settlements (Beach et al, 2006), ancient Greece (Runnels, 1995) or Anatolia (Bal et al, 2003). In the Mediterranean, human induced land degradation reaches as far back as the Neolithic (Kapur et al, 2006). In the last decades, however, socio-economic changes have caused abrupt and widespread land use and land cover changes leading to unprecedented rates of land degradation in the Mediterranean and worldwide (Hill et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping ‘Life on Land’

Schulze

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In 2015, the 193 United Nations (UN) member states adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The mid-point of the SDG Agenda was reached in 2023 and while important progress has been made, the world is not on track to achieve the goals by 2030. Competing claims for land and resources by the different goals are among the reasons for the limited progress. SDG 15, the so-called ‘Life on Land’ goal aims to protect and manage ecosystems sustainably to preserve the diverse life forms and ensure that current and future generations can benefit from ecosystem services. This is often not integrated in the other SDGs. To find solutions that minimize trade-offs and exploit synergies between the SDGs, it is crucial to understand the (spatial) consequences of their implementation. Land system models can support this understanding by exploring different future pathways. When spatially-explicit, they can account for location-specific factors that determine the probable occurrence or disappearance of certain land systems. Knowledge on spatial distribution of land system patterns in the starting/baseline year is usually a requirement. With new remote sensing techniques, spatial data for many different land cover types are now available. Forest management, which plays a key role in SDG 15, is often ignored or simplified in global land system models and assessments, due to the lack of data. This thesis explores and provides methodological advancements that support gaining a better understanding of the spatial implications of achieving SDG 15. In chapter 2, provides a consistent, systematic approach to map different forest classes and uses - a stepping stone towards better mapping of forest management. Spatial understanding on how forests are managed has been lacking until now and the produced maps can be used in global change studies. The new knowledge on the spatial distribution of different forest classes and uses is applied in chapter 3, where I demonstrated how the newly developed data can be used in global biodiversity assessments. Here, the impact of accounting for different forest classes and uses on biodiversity assessments is explored. In the chapter, the changes in the spatial distribution of forest classes and uses are estimated, driven by projected future wood demands. The chapter explores the interaction between biodiversity loss, forest management and deforestation. In chapter 4, the spatial implications of the land degradation neutrality target, alongside demands for food, living space and resources are simulated in a case study in Turkey. While the results show that land degradation neutrality can be achieved, while still providing resources and housing for the national population, a large extent of afforestation would be required to achieve such a future. As chapter 4 highlights the importance of afforestation for restoration, chapter 5 analyses the spatial probability of short-rotation woody plantations, advancing on the methodological approaches of chapter 3 and 4. The impact of climate change on their future distribution is estimated, following three emission scenarios. The results show that especially in high emission scenarios, short-rotation woody plantations might become less suitable in many areas of the Pan-Tropics. Altogether, this thesis provides more nuanced spatial representation of different forest management characteristics and describes two major methodological advancements to better estimate the spatial implications of SDG 15. The research shows that different land management strategies can support achieving the targets of SDG 15. However, they often come with trade-offs for other targets and SDGs. Spatial knowledge is required to support better tree-planting, reforestation and restoration initiatives and avoid the downsides caused by tree-planting at the wrong locations. Global commitments that are implemented without considering the spatial realities can fail and could do more harm than good along the way.

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Migration: An Irreversible Impact of Land Degradation in Turkey

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

How Do We Know When We Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality in Forests? A Systematic Review

How Do We Know When We Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality in Forests? A Systematic Review

Threats to Sustainability of Soil Functions in Central and Southeast Europe

Mapping ‘Life on Land’

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