The Approaches of Turkish Geographers to Environmental Issues and Studies in the Field
The problems of the world’s ecosystem are both very diverse and complex and they have different levels of impact. For this reason, understanding the ecological aspects of the environment, assessing its problems in terms of causation and distribution and designing solutions are important for the correct and sustainable use of landscape. Many disciplines today touch upon the ecological environment and its problems. There are even different branches of ecological expertise in this respect. Among them, geographical ecology differs from others in terms of approaching landscape as a whole and within a certain unit of space. Especially the developed countries have long had an interest in ecological environment and its problems. For Turkey, however, such studies are new and remain limited to the field of geography in particular.
This study introduces the ecological environment from a geographical perspective by separating it into spheres such as the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. Likewise, the environmental problems of different ecosystems have been addressed in terms of causation and distribution. Since the origins and geographical distribution of environmental problems are quite diverse, this study has adopted a selective approach and focused on problems with human origins rather than those with natural origins such as earthquakes, mass movements and avalanches. The studies conducted in Turkey on environmental problems from a geographical perspective have been subjected to a classification of its own. In terms of subject matter and scope, the studies with ecological emphasis have been prioritized and then followed by an examination of studies on the problems of the ecosystem. Thus, this study aims to determine the scientific approaches and contributions of geographers to the ecological environment in Turkey and its problems.
Nuriye Garipağaoğlu
