OPTIMIZED ECOLOGICAL NETWORK APPROACH OF HIGHLY URBANIZED CITIES: THE CASE OF ADANA CITY

Abstract. One of the most significant challenges in urban areas, where process rapid expansion takes place, is loss agricultural lands and natural habitats. The conversion these areas into residential commercial zones leads to a decline biodiversity progressive vital habitat areas. Analyzing connectivity conducting landscape measurements provide valuable insights for development land use management strategies, enhancing our understanding spatial structure landscape, directing conservation efforts. Incorporating measures such as green corridors connection networks planning becomes crucial order mitigate adverse effects fragmentation enhance ecosystem resilience within cities. Remote sensing techniques offer opportunities create models that enable quantitative qualitative identification fragmented patches. These serve tools evaluate effectiveness monitor potential impacts future changes on networks. Within this context, an optimized approach presented, aiming contribute ecological-based studies city with undergoing urbanization like Adana. By identifying degraded introducing new patches, improvement network has been observed. findings indicated addition patches can substantially city's overall connectivity.