Determination of Criteria and Importance Levels for Prioritization of Protected Areas

Abstract

Protected areas form the basis of the most effective operational tools of national and international conservation strategies to protect and sustain natural and cultural resource values. This study aimed to score the essential criteria and sub-criteria according to the importance of identifying and prioritizing new protected areas. For this purpose, a 5 Likert scoring technique was applied to 30 experts. As a result, seven essential criteria and 37 sub-criteria that can be used in the prioritization process of protected areas according to their weight scores were determined. The main criteria are listed as natural values (0.32), social and cultural values (0.26), spatial values (0.11), negative criteria (pressures and threats) (0.09), legal, administrative and political situation (0.07), economic values (0.06), research and development potential (0.06). With the seven essential criteria and 37 sub-criteria developed in this study, a decision support tool based on a straightforward, fast, and scientific approach that can mainly serve planners, practitioners, and decision-makers according to the importance levels of protected areas has been created.

Keywords

• Protected areas
• assessment criteria
• importance levels
• nature conservation
• biodiversity.

Ethical Statement

The article complied with national and international research and publication ethics. Ethics committee approval was not required for the study.

Korunan Alanların Önceliklendirilmesinde Kullanılabilecek Ölçütler ve Önemlilik Düzeylerinin Belirlenmesi

Abstract

Korunan alanlar, doğal ve kültürel kaynak değerlerinin korunması ve sürdürülebilirliğine yönelik ulusal ve uluslararası koruma stratejilerin en etkili eylemini oluşturur. Bu çalışmada yeni korunan alanların belirlenmesi ve önceliklendirilmesi için temel ölçüt ve alt ölçütlerin önemlilik düzeyine göre puanlandırılması amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla 30 uzman kişiye 5’li likert puanlama tekniği ile uygulanmıştır. Sonuç olarak; Korunan alanların önceliklendirme sürecinde ağırlık puanlarına göre kullanılabilecek 7 temel ölçüt ve 37 alt ölçüt belirlenmiştir. Temel ölçütler ağırlık puanlarına göre doğal değerler (0,32), sosyal ve kültürel değerler (0,26), mekânsal değerler (0,11), olumsuz ölçütler (baskı ve tehditler) (0,09), yasal, yönetsel ve politik durum (0,07), ekonomik değerler (0.06), araştırma ve geliştirme potansiyeli (0,06) şeklinde sıralanmıştır. Bu çalışma ile geliştirilen 7 temel ölçüt ve 37 alt ölçüt ile korunan alanların önemlilik düzeylerine göre özellikle plancılara, uygulayıcılara ve karar vericilere hizmet edebilecek kolay, hızlı ve bilimsel bir yaklaşıma dayalı bir karar destek aracı oluşturulmuştur.

Keywords

• Korunan alanlar
• değerlendirme ölçütleri
• önemlilik düzeyleri
• doğa koruma
• biyoçeşitlilik.

Ethical Statement

The article complied with national and international research and publication ethics. Ethics committee approval was not required for the study.

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