Turkey’s National Action Program on Combating Desertification.

Turkey’s National Action Program on Combating Desertification is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach. The main objective of the National Action Program on Combating Desertification is to address underlying factors to combat desertification with the participation of state, local organizations, land-owners and local people, in compliance with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.In order to combat desertification, this Program focuses on measures related to natural resources management, such as soil management and conservation, land-use planning, sustainable land management, erosion control, water resources management, pasture and rangeland management, forest management and conservation, waste management, wildlife conservation, ecosystem preservation and biodiversity conservation. This Program stresses on the establishment of early warning systems, determination and mapping of risky areas, soil surveys, establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems for climate change and for agricultural practices especially on the use of agricultural land and irrigation, training of farmers, inventory of land and water resources and EIA, that play crucial role to determine the measures and priorities in the mitigation of desertification.This National Action Program is in line with the River Basin Catchment and sub-basin wise divisions for sustainable land management developed by the State Hydraulic Works. The key aspects targeting the conservation and the sustainability of the natural resources as well as their effective use should be adapted to macro policies of the country and should be taken into consideration in decision-making processes. The National Action Planning Committee shall be established and be responsible for the implementation of action plans related to natural resources management to combat desertification. Furthermore, the coordination shall be ensured between the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, local administrations, civil society organizations, universities and other education institutions for the mitigation of desertification.