Determination of Land Cover Change in Datça and Bozburun Peninsula in Turkey (1997-2018)

Abstract

In this study, land cover in Datça - Bozburun Special Environmental Protection Area was determined and limited changes were analyzed with satellite images and field research. The study area is the two peninsulas at the south west of Turkey surrounded by the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea. The land is generally composed of mountainous and hilly terrains where mesozoic limestones are common. There are many gulfs and bays on the shores of both peninsulas. Mediterranean climate and vegetation are observed in the study area. Although there have been human settlements since ancient times, the land structure and limited agricultural areas prevented the presence of excess population. The port of Knidos on the western end of the Datça Peninsula was an important settlement developed in the past by maritime exportation, especially with the export of wine. Today, it attracts attention with its coastal tourism and some agricultural products (Olive, Almond, Carob etc.). The fact that the research area was announced as a special environmental-protection area prevented the changes in large-scale land cover and use. However, there are some limited changes around the bays and settlements. In this research, LANDSAT 7 ETM + (1997), SPOT 6/7 (2016), SPOT 6/7 (2018) satellite images and topographic maps were used. Satellite images were analyzed with ERDAS imagine software. Land cover was classified according to CORINE land cover classification system. Supervised classification was applied according to maximum likelihood method in remote sensing systems. Accuracy analysis of the classification was performed with Kappa statistics and it was determined as over 80%. The results obtained were also confirmed by the findings obtained from land studies. Accordingly, a decrease was identified in forests and semi-natural areas and agricultural areas and an increase was identified in artificial surfaces and open space with little or no vegetation.