A GIS Based Multi Criteria Evaluation to Ecotourism Suitability Site Selection in Arasbaran Protected Area, Iran

Yıl 2019, Cilt: 2 Sayı: 3, 1 - 7, 31.12.2019

Sedighe Abdollahi Alireza Ildoromi Abdolrassoul Salmanmahini

Öz

Today, ecotourism is a major tourist activity around the world. Arasbaran protected area as a mountainous area in northwest of Iran has high potential for attracting eco-tourists due to its natural pristine nature and biodiversity. This study developed a spatial method for evaluation of ecotourism potential using geographic information systems (GIS). First, the effective criteria were chosen according to the previous studies. Standardization of the criteria was conducted using suitable fuzzy functions and the weights of the criteria were derived through the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). In the next step, criteria were combined using Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method to reveal the suitability of ecotourism. Eventually, for land zoning according to ecotourism value, the module of Zonal Land Suitability (ZLS) was applied and around 37 zones were introduced for ecotourism at the study area. The result of this study showed that the most suitable ecotourism area of Arasbaran protected area is 6.45 percent (5200.62 ha) with attention to pixel with suitability more than 200. Overall, the results revealed that MCE method is capable of evaluation of Arasbaran protected area for ecotourism. Also, the geographical information system was found a useful tool, allowing combination of many criteria and Boolean layers.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Ecotourism, Weighted Linear Combination Method, land planning, Multi Criteria Evaluation, ZLS

Kaynakça

• [1] Ahmadi, M., Faraji Darabkhani, M. and Ghanavati, E., 2015. A GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision-making Approach to Identify Site Attraction for Ecotourism Development in Ilam Province, Iran. Tourism Planning & Development, 12 (2): 176–189.
• [2]Saeidi, S., Mohammadzadeh, M., Salmanmahiny, A. and Mirkarimi, S. H. 2014. Assessing and modeling of landscape scenic values using the method of weighted linear combination (Case study: Walking tracks of Ziarat watershed, Golestan Province), journal of natural environment, (Iranian journal of Natural Resources), 67 (3): 301-311.
• [3] Asmamaw, D. and Gidey, E. 2018. Identification of Potential Eco-Tourism Site Suitability Using AHP and GIS, A Case of Hugumburda Forest and its Surrounding Areas, Ethiopia, Advance in Environmental Waste Management & Recycling, 1 (1): 1-4.
• [4] Bhaya, S. and Chakrabarty, A. 2016. A GIS Based Ecotourism Infrastructure Planning for Promotion of Tourism in Jungle Mahal of West Bengal, J Remote Sensing & GIS, 5 (4): 1000181, DOI: 10.4172/2469-4134.1000181.
• [5] Courvisanos, J. and Jaina, A. 2006. A Framework for Sustainable Ecotourism: Application to CastaRica, Tourism Hospitality Planning and Development, 3 (2): 131- 142.
• [6] Drobne, S. and Lisec, A., 2009. Multi-attribute Decision Analysis in GIS: Weighted Linear Combination and Ordered Weighted Averaging, Informatica 33: 459–474.
• [7] Darvishi, A., Fakheran, S., Soffianian, A and Ghorbani, M. 2016. Change detection and land use/land cover dynamics in the Arasbaran biosphere reserve, journal of natural environment, (Iranian journal of Natural Resources), 68 (4): 559- 572.
• [8] Eastman, J.R. 2012. IDRISI Andes guide to GIS and image processing. Clark University, Graduate school of geography, Worcester.
• [9] Hajehforooshnia, Sh., Soffianian, A., Mahiny, A. and Fakheran, S. 2011. Multi objective land allocation (MOLA) for zoning Ghamishloo Wildlife Sanctuary in Iran. Nat Conserv, 19, 252-262.
• [10] Kheikhah Zarkesh, M. M., Almasi, N and Taghizadeh, F. 2011. Ecotourism Land Capability Evaluation Using Spatial Multi Criteria. Evaluation, Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology 3(7): 693-700.
• [11] Kianysalmi, S. and Yeganeh Dastjerdi, P.2016. Identifying the effective factors affecting sport tourism activities using multi-criteria decision making techniques (Case study: ChaharMahal and Bakhtiari province). Journal of Tourist Development. 5(2):115-35
• [12] KianiSadr, M., Melhosseini Darani, K. and Golkarian, H. 2019. Quantitative Zoning of Ecotourism Potential in Oshtorankouh Protected Area Using Delphi Method, Analytic Hierarchy Process, and Weighted Overlay Methods, ECOPERSIA, 7(2):115-123.
• [13] Louviere, J.J., Hensher, D.A. and Swait, J.D. 2000. Stated Choice Methods: Analysis and Applications. Cambridge University Press.
• [14] Liu, T.-M. 2016. The influence of climate change on tourism demand in Taiwan national parks. Tourism Management Perspectives, 20, 269–275.
• [15] Makhdoum, M.F. 2013. Fundamental of land use planning. Tehran University Publications. pp 285.
• [16] Masoodi, M., Salmanmahini, A., Mohammadzadeh, M. and Mirkarimi, H. 2016. Optimization of Recreational Site Selection Using Multi Criteria Evaluation and Functional Relationship Diagram (Case Study: Miankaleh Wildlife Sanctuary). Pollution, 2(2): 163-181.
• [17] Mahdavi, A., Niknejad, M. and Karami O. 2014. Multi-criteria evaluation of land for ecotourism development (Case study: Khorram-Abad country). Ecology of Iran Forest, 2 (4): 56-69.
• [18] NeisaniSamani, Z., Karimi, M., Alesheikh, A. A., 2018. A Novel Approach to Site Selection: Collaborative Multi-Criteria Decision Making through Geo-Social Network (Case Study: Public Parking), International Journal of Geo-Information, 7(82): doi:10.3390/ijgi7030082.
• [19] Nino, K., Mamo, Y., Mengesha, G., & Kibret, K. S. 2017. GIS based ecotourism potential assessment in Munessa Shashemene Concession Forest and its surrounding area, Ethiopia. Applied Geography, 82, 48–58.
• [20] Pasi, G., Yager, R. R. 2006. Modeling the concept of majority opinion in group decision-making. Information. Science. 176: 390–414.
• [21] SalmanMahini, A., Riazi, B., Naimi, B., Babai kafaki, S. and Javadi larijani, A. (2008). Using multi criteria evolution (MCE) and GIS for site suitability evalution for Ecotourism (case study: Behshahr). Environ Sci Technol, 11(1), 187-198.
• [22] SalmanMahini, A. and Kamyab, H. R. 2010. Applied Remote Sensing and GIS with Idrisi. MehreMahdis Press, Tehran, 582p. (in Persian).
• [23] Saeidi, S., Mohammadzadeh, M., Salmanmahiny, A. and Mirkarimi, S. H. 2014. Assessing and modeling of landscape scenic values using the method of weighted linear combination (Case study: Walking tracks of Ziarat watershed, Golestan Province), journal of natural environment, (Iranian journal of Natural Resources), 67 (3): 301-311.
• [24] Siroosi, H., Heshmati, G. and SalmanMahini, A. 2019. Can empirically-based model results be fed into mathematical models? MCE for neural network and logistic regression in tourism landscape planning, Environment, Development and Sustainability, 22 (9): 3701–3722.
• [25] Suryabhagavan, K. V., Tamirat, H., & Balakrishinan, M. 2015. Multi criteria evaluation in identification of potential ecotourism sites in Hawassa town and its surroundings, Ethiopia. Journal of Geomatics, 1(9), 86–92.
• [26] Tsaur, S.H., Lin, Y.C. and Lin, J.H. (2006). Evaluating ecotourism sustainability from the integrated perspective of resource, community and tourism. Tour. Manage, 27, 640-653.
• [27] TIES. 2015. What is Ecotourism? Retrieved June 28, 2017, from http://www. ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism.
• [28] Vahidnia, M., Alesheikh, A. and Alimohammadi, A. 2009. Hospital site selection using fuzzy AHP and its derivatives. Environ Manage, 90, 3048–3056.
• [29] Yan, L., Gao, B. W., and Zhang, M. 2017. A mathematical model for tourism potential assessment. Tourism Management, 63, 355–365.