This study analyzed the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and land cover changes in the Yıldız Mountains Basin between 1995 and 2025 and simulated future landscape trends for 2055. Controlled classification results obtained from Landsat Thematic Mapper and Operational Land Imager imagery were combined with the Cellular Automata–Markov model, and land transitions were quantitatively examined over the past 30 year period to generate projection-based estimates for future land cover. The model suggests that forest areas could increase from 85.65% in 1995 to approximately 97.69% in 2055, while agricultural areas are expected to decrease from 10.35% to 0.40%, and pasture areas are expected to decrease from 3.14% to 0.07%. These projected changes may be associated with rural population decline, agriculture abandonment, and natural succession, which can promote forest regeneration and ecological resilience. The projections indicate that forest ecosystems may continue to expand while preserving spatial continuity under conditions of limited human-driven land use. Overall, the findings highlight that the Yıldız Mountains Basin demonstrates strong ecological resilience, with natural restoration processes likely to dominate in the long term.
Emine Keleş Özgenç, Nilay Mısırlı, E. Özgenç et al.· Mountain Research and Develo...· 0 citations
Municipal solid waste management is a critical challenge in hydro‐environmentally sensitive regions, requiring complex evaluations for landfill siting. This study develops a risk‐informed Geographic Information System (GIS)‐based multi‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework for landfill site selection in Edirne Province. Edirne represents a highly constrained decision space due to its low‐lying topography, floodplain dynamics, dense river networks, and intensive agriculture. Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the framework integrates eight key criteria: flood susceptibility, river proximity, slope, elevation, land use/land cover (LULC), geological structure, soil characteristics, and accessibility. Results reveal that moderate suitability areas dominate the province (64.1%), followed by high (21.9%) and low (12.4%) suitability. Very high suitability areas are severely restricted, covering only 0.8% (52.3 km
2
) and emerging as fragmented patches where favorable conditions intersect. This spatial scarcity is primarily driven by critical environmental bottlenecks, specifically compatible LULC (0.4%), suitable geology (4.8%), and low‐permeability soils (3.9%), which collectively exert a strong spatial filtering effect. Ultimately, this structured GIS‐MCDA screening approach informs sustainable waste management planning in environmentally constrained regions. The severe limitation of highly suitable land demonstrates that conventional landfill expansion is spatially restrictive. The findings underscore the urgent need for strategies aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 6 and 11), emphasizing surface and groundwater protection, resource recovery, recycling, and a critical transition away from landfill‐dependent waste systems.
E. Özgenç· Environmental Quality Manage...· 0 citations