Our University actively participates in co-operative planning activities with central and local government institutions in order to reduce disaster risks associated with climate change, improve disaster preparedness, strengthen early warning capacity, and enhance regional resilience.
In particular, through the Landslide Application and Research Center, the Earthquake and Structural Health Application and Research Center, and relevant academic units, our University conducts scientific research, risk assessments, technical consultancy, training, and awareness-raising activities on intense rainfall, floods, inundation, landslides, drought, erosion, forest fires, and other natural hazards. These activities provide scientific support for government planning processes aimed at reducing disaster risks and strengthening climate change adaptation capacity.
Joint Planning with AFAD on Natural Hazards
One of the strongest examples of this approach in 2025 was the cooperation between the University’s Landslide Application and Research Center and the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD).
A “Cooperation Protocol on Natural Hazard Studies and Education” was signed between the University and AFAD. According to the University’s institutional protocol records, the protocol commenced on 14 April 2025 and will remain in force until 2030.
The protocol covers not only education, but also the joint implementation of research, planning, risk reduction, and awareness-raising activities related to natural hazards. The University’s sustainability platform explicitly states that this cooperation includes disaster risk reduction, the development of early warning systems, and public awareness activities.
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/yonetim/ulusalprotokoller
The scope of this cooperation with AFAD is described in greater detail on the University’s local projects page. The activities are linked to actions assigned to AFAD Trabzon under the Urban Risk Shield Plan, the Türkiye Disaster Response Plan, and the Provincial Risk Reduction Plan. In addition, joint studies are planned in the Eastern Black Sea Region on floods, inundation, landslides, earthquakes, rockfalls, avalanches, drought, desertification, erosion, and forest fires. In this respect, our University acts as a scientific partner directly connected to formal government disaster planning mechanisms.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/yonetim/trabzonicinyurutulenprojeler
Disaster Risk Reduction with Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality
Another important example of cooperation with local government is the University’s work with Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality.
A cooperation protocol signed between the University’s Landslide Application and Research Center and Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality entered into force on 27 December 2024 and remained active throughout 2025. According to institutional protocol records, this cooperation is planned to continue until 2029.
The University’s sustainability platform states that the protocol aims to carry out joint studies on natural hazards such as floods, inundation, landslides, earthquakes, drought, and forest fires in the Eastern Black Sea Region; develop national and international projects; organise education and awareness activities; and conduct search-and-rescue exercises.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/huam/haber/trabzon-buyuksehir-belediyesi-ile-isbirligi-protokolu-imzaladik
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/yonetim/ulusalprotokoller
Provincial Risk Reduction Plan and Inter-Institutional Planning
The University’s role in disaster management is not limited to bilateral protocols. During meetings conducted by the Landslide Application and Research Center with public institutions, the establishment of a commission was planned in order to implement and monitor activities for which the University is responsible under the Provincial Risk Reduction Plan (Ä°RAP).
Within the same framework, joint studies on natural hazards, modelling of landslide, flood, and inundation risks, and the development of cooperation with international organisations were also discussed. The relevant University centre has explicitly stated that landslides, floods, and inundation are among the most significant natural hazard risks in the Eastern Black Sea Region and that these risks should be managed through scientific research, technological development, and inter-institutional cooperation.
These activities demonstrate that the University does not merely undertake academic assessments after disasters, but also provides scientific and technical contributions to pre-disaster risk reduction and governmental planning processes.
Early Warning and Risk Reduction
Early warning capacity is an important component of the University’s cooperation with government institutions on climate-related disasters. Within the cooperation with AFAD, the development of early warning systems, disaster risk reduction, and public awareness are explicitly defined as areas of joint activity.
The Landslide Application and Research Center also studies the effects of climate-related factors such as intense rainfall and soil saturation on landslide risk and carries out research on early warning and risk reduction methods.
Preparing the Local Community for Disasters
As part of the community dimension of co-operative disaster planning, our University also works with the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of National Education. A Disaster Awareness Training Cooperation Protocol was signed between the University’s Landslide Application and Research Center and the Provincial Directorate of National Education on 11 February 2025, and the protocol is planned to remain in force until 2028.
According to the Center’s 2025 activity records, disaster awareness training activities carried out in schools in Trabzon reached approximately 1,000 students in more than 20 schools over a two-year period.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/yonetim/ulusalprotokoller
https://ktu.edu.tr/dosyalar/huam_kvM0q.pdf
Institutional Disaster and Climate Action Approach in 2025
The University’s institutional activities in 2025 also confirm its disaster-related cooperation with public institutions. The University’s 2025 activity assessments document the implementation of the Natural Hazard Studies and Education Protocol with AFAD, the cooperation protocol with Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality, and disaster awareness activities carried out with the Provincial Directorate of National Education.
In addition, the University’s 2025 SDG 13: Climate Action Report annually documents activities conducted in the areas of climate change, disaster risk reduction, water and forest management, climate resilience, and sustainable environmental management.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/dosyalar/surdurulebilirlik_YEcw3.pdf
Our University actively participated in co-operative planning processes with government institutions in 2025 for disasters associated with climate change. The linkage of its work with AFAD to the Urban Risk Shield Plan, Türkiye Disaster Response Plan, and Provincial Risk Reduction Plan; joint activities with Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality addressing floods, inundation, landslides, drought, and forest fires; the development of early warning systems; and efforts to strengthen community disaster preparedness all provide concrete evidence of this approach.
Within this framework, our University cooperates with central and local government authorities at scientific, technical, and institutional levels to prevent and reduce the impacts of disasters that may be intensified by climate change and that may potentially lead to the temporary or permanent displacement of populations.
