Mapping desertification risk of Çankiri Karatekin University Faculty of Forestry Research and Application Forest

Desertification, which is one of the most important global environmental problems of today, is a problem that must be taken seriously in terms of its consequences (land degradation, reduction in vegetation, etc.). This study was carried out to determine the desertification risk of Çankırı Karatekin University Research and Application Forest in Eldivan district of Çankırı province. Desertification Indicator System for Mediterranean Europe (DIS4ME), developed for Mediterranean countries, was used to calculate the desertification risk. The study area is approximately 367 ha, soil sampling was done at 98 points in the area and desertification survey form was filled for each sampling point. Desertification risk and environmental sensitive area (ESA) index were calculated for each point using the DIS4ME system. Calculated desertification risk values are interpolated using geostatistical methods. In the study area, desertification risk had the lowest 2.31 in the medium risk class, and the highest 8.09 in the medium risk class. 325.81 ha (88.77%) of the study area is at high risk and 41.19 ha (11.23%) is at medium risk. Geostatistical analysis showed that desertification risk and VFS scores were strongly spatially dependent in the study area. With the strong spatial dependence obtained, the risk of desertification was successfully estimated at unsampled points. Key words: Çankırı, Desertification, Desertification Indicators, Risk Map, Modeling