Visitor Carrying Capacity for Recreation Trekking Routes in Protected Sites: Uludağ National Park Sample

Abstract

This paper suggests an approach for calculating the visitor carrying capacity in protected sites with the example of Uludağ National Park (UNP) which is one of the major touristic and recreation destination in Turkey. First phase of the approach includes landscape character analysis and assessment work. Secondly, visitor carrying capacity calculation was carried on an ecological basis.

Bursa city was founded on the mountainside of Uludağ, with a height of 2543 m., which was declared as a national park in 1961. There are numerous projects with the aim developing touristic activities in Uludağ implemented by local and central administration in recent years. These projects have been initiated with the idea of opening UNP to use not only in winter, but throughout the year. Also there is a long term protection plan of the UNP with three different protection categories such as absolute protection zone, limited development zone and controlled development zone; and trekking routes are within the limited development zone area. The present study examines the use of one of the eight different trekking routes (TG-2.Sarıçayır Peak - German Meadow Location- Çobankaya - Softaboğan Location) defined in long term development plan. The result shows that real visitor carrying capacity of the studied trekking route is 38% less than actual physical carrying capacity due to the limitations indicated by the landscapes characteristics. It can be assumed that the studied 4.5 km trekking route is face with landscape deterioration problems due to trekking activities in future, and requires landscape management and monitoring resolutions. This paper contributes that, the estimations for visitor carrying capacity should be based on landscape character analysis and assessment with the purpose of preventing ecological deteriorations in trekking routes used for recreation.

Keywords

• Uludag,Protection,Recreation,Trekking,Capacity

References

1. Bingül, M. B., Vaske, J. and Donnelly, M. (2017). Encounter norms among visitors at a national park in Turkey. European Journal of Tourism Research, 17, 206-214.
2. Ceballos-Lascuráin, H. (1992). Tourism, ecotourism, and protected areas: the state of nature-based tourism around the world and guidelines for its development. IV. World Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas. IUCN, Protected Areas Programme. Gland, Switzerland.
3. Cifuentes, M.A. (1992). Determinación de capacidad de carga turística en areas protegidas. Biblioteca Orton IICA/CATIE, Costa Rica.
4. European Environment Agency, (2006) Urban Sprawl in Europe - The Ignored Challenge, EEA Report No 10/2006, Kopenhag.
5. Evren, S. & Kozak, N. (2018). Competitive positioning of winter tourism destinations: A comparative analysis of demand and supply sides perspectives–Cases from Turkey. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 9 (2018), 247–257.
6. Kovancı, B., Gençer, N.S. & Kaya. M. (1999). Uludağ(Bursa)’da Bulunan Apollon Kelebeği, Parnassius apollo (L.) (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) Üzerinde Biyolojik ve Ekolojik Araştırmalar. Tr. J. of Agriculture and Forestry, 23 (1999), Ek Say 4, 875-884 @ TÜBİTAK (Biological and Ecological Studies on Parnassius Apollo. Additional Issue)
7. Lovén , L. (2002). Customer Satisfaction as an Indicator of Social Carrying Capacity - Case Heritage Centre Ukko in Koli National Park, Finland. In: Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas Conference Proceedings ed by A. Arnberger, C. Brandenburg, A. Muhar, 340-345.
8. Manning, R.E. (2002). How Much is Too Much? Carrying Capacity of National Parks and Protected Areas. In: Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas Conference Proceedings ed by A. Arnberger, C. Brandenburg, A. Muhar, 306-313.

9. Moradi, M. and Görer Tamer, N. (2017). Bursa Örneğinde Kentsel Büyümenin Yerel İklim Değişikliği Üzerine Etkisi Planlama [The Urban Growth Effects Over the Local Climate Change in the Case of Bursa], Planlama (Journal) 2017; 27(1):26–37 , DOI: 10.14744.
10. Mumford, L. (2007). The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects. Mariner Books.
11. Özsoy, G. (2009). Remote Sensing and GIS Applications for Monitoring Multi-Temporal Changes of Natural Resources in Bursa-Turkey. J. BIOL. ENVIRON. SCI.,2009, 3(8), 53-59.
12. Öztürk, M.Z. (2010) Uludağ (Zirve) ve Bursa Meteoroloji İstasyonlarının Karşılaştırmalı İklimi [Comparative climate of Uludağ (Zirve) and Bursa Meteorology Stations]. Türk Coğrafya Dergisi Sayı (Turkish Geography Magazine) 55: 13-24, İstanbul.
13. Shelby, B and Herbelein, T.A. (1984). A Conceptual Framework for Carrying Capacity Determination. Leisure sciences 6(4), 433-451.
14. Swagata Bera, S., Majumdar, D.D. & Paul, A.K., (2015) Estimation of Tourism Carrying Capacity for Neil Island, South Andaman, India. Journal of Coastal Sciences. Volume 2 Issue No. 2 – 2015, 46-53.
15. Şahin ve ark. (2011). Peyzaj Planı ve Peyzaj Karakter Analizi Raporu (III. Iş Paketi) [Landscape Plan and Landscape Character Analysis Report (III. Work Package)]. In: Çabuk ve ark (2011), Uludağ Milli Parkı Sarıalan-Çobankaya-Karabelen-Kirazyayla-Yılanlikaya Mevkileri Peyzaj Planlama-Koruma Amaçlı Imar Planı ve Peyzaj Tasarımı Çalışmaları [Uludağ National Park Sarıalan-Çobankaya-Karabelen-Kirazyayla-Yılanlikaya Landscape Planning-Preservation Zoning Plan and Landscape Works]. Bursa Orhangazi Belediyesi Projesi [Bursa Orhangazi Municipality Project].
16. Şahin, Ş., Perçin, H., Kurum, E. ve Memlük, Y. (2014). Akarsu Koridorlarında Peyzaj Onarımı ve Doğaya Yeniden Kazandırma Teknik Kılavuzu. T.C. Orman ve Su İşleri Bakanlığı, Doğa Koruma ve Milli Parklar Genel Müdürlüğü adına BEL-DA Belde Proje ve Dan. Tic. Ltd. Şti., 154 sayfa, Ankara.[Landscape Repairs in Watercourses and Technical Guideline Recovering Nature. BEL-DA (Town Project and Consultancy Company) on behalf of the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs, Nature Protection and National Parks General Directorate]
17. T.C. Çevre ve Orman Bakanlığı (2009). Uludağ Milli Parkı 1/25.000 Ölçekli Uzun Devreli Gelişme Revizyon Planı: Nihai Plan Rapor [1/25.000 Scale Long Term Development Plan of Uludağ National Park/ UNP-LTDP]. Yüklenici [Contractor]: Doğukan Imar Inşaat ve Tic. Ltd. Şti.
18. T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı, (2018). Uludağ Milli Parkı. http://bolge2.ormansu.gov.tr, Erişim Tarihi: 07.08.2018.
19. Türkeş, M & Öztürk, M.Z. (2008). Uludağ Meteoroloji Istasyonu Verilerinin Iklimsel Değisimler Ve Periglasiyal Süreçler Açısından İncelenmesi [Analyses of Uludağ Meterological Station Data in relation to Climate Changes and Periglacial Processes]. IV. Atmosfer Bilimleri Proceedings of the International Fourth Symposium on Atmospheric Sciences, 25-28 March 2008, İstanbul, Turkey.
20. Vaske, J. J., Donnelly, M. & Bingül, M.B. (2016). Response Format Effects in Encounter Norm Questions, Leisure Sciences, 38:3, 284-294.
21. Wiskerke, J. S. (2015). Urban Food Systems. H. de Zeeuw, & P. Drechsel (ed), Cities And Agriculture – Developing Resilient Urban Food Systems, Earthscan.