Showing papers by "Candan Gokceoglu published in 2015"

An exploratory analysis of land abandonment drivers in areas prone to desertification

Abstract: The abandonment of land is a global problem with environmental and socioeconomic implications. An approach to assess the relationship between land abandonment and a large set of indicators was illustrated in the present study by using data collected in the framework of the European Union DESIRE research project from 808 field sites located in 10 study sites in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. A total of 48 indicators provided information for biophysical conditions and socioeconomic characteristics measured at the plot level. The selected indicators refer to farm characteristics (family status, land tenure, present and previous types of land-use, soil depth, slope gradient, tillage operations) and to site-specific characteristics including annual rainfall, rainfall seasonality and water availability. Classes were designated for each indicator and a sensitivity score was assigned to each class based on existing research or empirically assessing the importance of each indicator to the land abandonment issue. Questionnaires for each process of land degradation were prepared and data were collected at field site level in collaboration with land users. Based on correlation statistics and multivariate analyses more than ten indicators out of 48 resulted as significant in affecting land abandonment in the studied field sites. Among them, the most important were rainfall seasonality, elderly index, land fragmentation, farm size, selected soil properties, and the level of policy implementation. Results contribute to the development of appropriate tools for assessing the effectiveness of land management practices for contrasting land abandonment.

Unveiling soil degradation and desertification risk in the Mediterranean basin: a data mining analysis of the relationships between biophysical and socioeconomic factors in agro-forest landscapes

Abstract: Soil degradation and desertification processes in the Mediterranean basin reflect the interplay between environmental and socioeconomic drivers. An approach to evaluate comparatively the multiple relationships between biophysical variables and socioeconomic factors is illustrated in the present study using the data collected from 586 field sites located in five Mediterranean areas (Spain, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco). A total of 47 variables were chosen to illustrate land-use, farm characteristics, population pressure, tourism development, rainfall regime, water availability, soil properties and vegetation cover, among others. A data mining approach incorporating non-parametric inference, principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering was developed to identify candidate syndromes of soil degradation and desertification risk. While field sites in the same study area showed a substantial similarity, the multivariate relationship among variables diverged among study areas. Data mining techniques proved to be a practical tool to identify spatial determinants of soil degradation and desertification risk. Our findings identify the contrasting spatial patterns for biophysical and socioeconomic variables, in turn associated with different responses to land degradation.

Determination of coastal border line: an integrated approach for a part of Antalya coast (Turkey)

Abstract: Sustainable development in coastal areas requires mapping of geological and geomorphological features of the area and precise determination of coastal border line. Such a study was carried out in the city of Antalya, which is undergoing intense infrastructural development in order to accommodate touristic activities. In the field, high water level, which is determined from moist-dry sand border and current berm crest, was taken as the indicator for shoreline, while vegetation line and topographic rises were taken as indicators of coastal border line. The geographic coordinates of all of the features were determined using differential Global Positioning System with application of “real-time kinematic measurement” technique. Quickbird satellite images of 2002 and 2009 were used in order to observe natural state of the coastal area before the constructions, to complete geomorphological map, and to confirm the coastal border line determined in the field. In addition, the natural vegetation line before the infrastructural development was determined using normalized difference vegetation index approach. Using grain size parameters for identification of coastal border line, high and low water levels were tested. The results showed that from low water level to coastal border line, D 50 (median grain size) and coefficient of uniformity decrease while coefficient of curvature increases systematically. This study showed that use of only one approach to determine coastal border line is insufficient, and an integrated methodology is required.