Effect of 50-year reclamation on soil quality in a sand dune area of central anatolia

Abstract

Reclamation studies against human-induced desertification should be maintained for a long time as the recovery of natural resources in arid and semi-arid environments asks for decades of conservation. This period is longer at sand dunes due to textural disadvantageous for providing plant nutrients, development of aggregates, structure and being very low resistant to wind erosion. Assessment of the changes in natural resource quality also requires long-term monitoring. Use of long-term studies can produce better information on the different potentials for land use and its consequences. Thus, success stories of long-term projects are important to shed light for reclamation studies in desertification sites, particularly at sand dunes which are extremely fragile against minor changes in a land management. This study outlines the changes achieved in soils and vegetation quality in a sand dune area of Central Turkey maintained since the 1960's by analytical and economical figures. Results revealed that natural vegetation provided maximum recovery in soil and vegetation quality by increasing soil organic matter and plant nutrients than afforested sites. When, the inputs are expressed in terms of economy, the annual revenue is 8 467 620 USD and for 50 years (1968-2008) the input is roughly 400 000 000 USD. Thus, the outcomes of this 50-year project set a remarkable guideline that conservation studies could be undertaken at similar sites of the world.