TITLE:
Daylighting the Role of Soil Ecosystem Services (SoESs) for Climate Change Adaptation
AUTHORS:
Merve Yilmaz Mutlu, Azime Tezer
KEYWORDS:
Spatial Planning, Suitability Analysis, Environment, Ecological Footprints, Resillience
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.11 No.9,
September
28,
2023
ABSTRACT: Soil plays a critical role in providing various Ecosystem Services (ESs)
that are beneficial to humanity. Services such as clean air, water, and food
production are directly or indirectly provided through soils. The soil
ecosystem is considered as the most important Carbon (C) sink in terrestrial
systems, and human activities, particularly land use, impact ESs and increase
carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Mapping
ESs and assessing the risks associated with climate-related
hydro-meteorological hazards and soil degradation can contribute to making spatial decisions for planning more
climate-resilient. Indeed, strategies
based on soil ecosystem services provide valuable insight for enhancing
the resilience of spatial decision-making
in adapting to climate change. The aim of this article is to illuminate the
significance of SoES in the spatial planning
decision-making for better integration and adaptation into climate
change adaptation policies as a decision support tool. In this regard, ESs
related to climate change were highlighted and mapped, and their suitability for settlement development decisions and
relation with ESs’ integrity were
assessed through weighted multi-criteria analysis, while discussing the contributions of this process to climate change adaptation. Incorporating Social-Ecological
Systems (SoESs) factors into suitability analysis is crucial for comprehensive urban
planning, particularly in the context of climate change adaptation and
environmental protection. In this study, two settlement suitability analyses
were conducted. The first analysis considered various factors, such as land use, soil classification, DEM
(Digital Elevation Model), and slope. The
second analysis utilized weighted climate-related SoES indicators, including
soil depth, soil carbon sequestration capacity, soil loss, flood risk,
temperature, and precipitation. The results revealed that the SoES-based
suitability analysis was more stringent in identifying suitable areas for urban
development and offered a more holistic perspective for urban planners.