Suggestions for sectoral based climate change adaptation practises for Turkey

The main objective of this study is to set out a climate change adaptation action plan for Turkey in watershed scale, within the climate change adaptation framework, by means of considering the activities of EU Commission, EU countries and some other countries' action plans. To fulfill this aim, initially European Commission's working documents and official web portal were investigated in order to become prepared for climate change and to live with this concept. Necessary documentation and web portal were translated from English and thoroughly studied to reveal why there is a need at watershed scale fon an effective climate change action plan. Also throughout the world, some developed (generally EU member countries) and developing countries' climate change action plans and strategies were investigated and translated from English. A watershed scale action plan was also investigated and complied to be more supportive for the review section of the study. Today, it is no longer an inevitable fact that consequences of climate change are irreversible. If all greenhouse gas emissions are stopped, existing gases in the atmosphere will continue to warm the Earth for next 50 years. For this reason, adapting to the climate change and minimizing the possible effects has become a necessity. Experiences of seven countries and one transboundary catchment are addressed in this study, each of the countries and catchment made significant progress towards adaptation, especially their choice of renewable energy, cleaner production, climate-resistance systems, energy conservation, recycling, environmentally-friendly technologies such as recycling and products through an effective action plan and strategy has been determined. Altough every countries' action plan have some similarities in sectoral analysis, each country in accordance with the specific nature of the problem seems to create its own sectoral analysis. Proposed sectoral analysis for Turkey are health, water resources, biodiversity, agriculture and forestry, infrastructure (buildings, transport and energy), urban planning (urban and watershed planning), industry and energy, tourism, research and development, information, education and training finance and insurance, marine ecosystems and fisheries, and coastal areas. Marshalling the proposed sectoral analysis and adaptation options are evaluated in marine and terrestrial catchment scale in terms of having similar ecosystems. In accordance to vulnerability analysis of identified adaptation options, the importance of prioritization is expressed. Also the importance of cost and benefit analysis was specified to indicate that adapting to climate change is more a profitable orientation than having no measure against climate change.In this context, as a result of the work done, the delegation of Central Watershed Management Committee and Watershed Management Trustees that are formed under the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs should work in coordination to create a watershed scale action plan. The action plan that will be developed by the delegation, has to recommend the application ofadaptation activities at short, medium and long term. After starting the application, experiencesin the form of lessons learnt and feedback should be utilizied to make some changes and adjustments needed as seen in other countries examined