Assessing Major Ecosystem Types and the Challenge

Authors: Fatih Evrendilek Hakan Doygun

Publish Date: 2014/02/08

Volume: 26, Issue: 5, Pages: 479-489

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Abstract

In recent years Turkey has experienced rapid economic and population growth coupled with both an equally rapid increase in energy consumption and a vast disparity in welfare between socioeconomic groups and regions In turn these pressures have accelerated the destruction of productive assimilative and regenerative capacities of the ecosystems which are essential for the wellbeing of the people and the economy This paper describes the structure and function of major ecosystem types in Turkey and discusses the underlying causes of environmental degradation in the framework of economy energy environment and ethics From a national perspective this paper suggests three sustainabilitybased policies necessary for Turkeys longterm interests that balance economic environmental and energy goals 1 decoupling economic growth from energy consumption growth through the development of energyefficient and renewable energy technologies 2 linking economic efficiency and distributive justice of wealth and power through distributive and participatory public policies and 3 integrating the economic and ecological systems through the internalization of externalities and ecosystem rehabilitation

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