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Assessing the effects of long-term recreational activities on landscape changes in Abant Natural Park, Turkey

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Abstract

Natural, protected areas offer many possibilities for recreation in rural areas such as camping, one of the most popular activities. The system established for protected areas in Turkey aims to provide a foundation for conserving areas for recreation. One such area, Abant Natural Park, is convenient for visits from Turkey’s two most populated metropolitan areas, Istanbul and Ankara. It also attracts tourists from other regions and countries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the vegetation loss and land cover changes due to picnic/camping, transhumance, and construction over 40 years (1966–2004) in the park using data on visitor numbers, vegetation patches, corridors and connectivity. For evaluating landscape variables, remote sensing data and aerial photos were used. When aerial photos were imported into the ERDAS Imagine program, ground control points identified, and individual images orthorectified, land degradation was not found in the use of camping areas. Moreover, manmade areas (road, car park and hotel) observably increased, thus decreasing the forest lands. The findings show that the land use types that have had the greatest ecological impact are transhumance and construction of hotels, which also require infrastructure development. The intensity of the ecological effects mandates precautions to lessen the impacts and the need for continuing assessment to ensure sustainable use of the area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Natural and Applied Science, Gümüşhane University, Gümüşhane, Turkey

    Günay Çakir

  2. Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Forestry, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey

    Haldun Müderrisoğlu

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey

    Latif Gürkan Kaya

Authors
  1. Günay Çakir
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  2. Haldun Müderrisoğlu
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  3. Latif Gürkan Kaya
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Correspondence to Latif Gürkan Kaya.

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The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com

Corresponding editor: Chai Ruihai

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Çakir, G., Müderrisoğlu, H. & Kaya, L.G. Assessing the effects of long-term recreational activities on landscape changes in Abant Natural Park, Turkey. J. For. Res. 27, 453–461 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-015-0141-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-015-0141-x

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