A Methodological Approach for Designating Management Zones in Mount Spil National Park, Turkey

/ This study was undertaken to (1) determine the suitability of ecosystems within Mount Spil National Park (Turkey) to human activities by a systematic zoning procedure, and (2) provide the basis for developing sound management strategies based on natural-cultural resource attributes of the park. After assessing natural-cultural resources and human activity requirements, the suitability of three zones (Strict Protection Zone, SPZ; Restricted Use Zone, RUZ; and Recreation and Administration Zone, RAZ) for proposed human activities/land uses was determined in order to maintain ecological sustainability and integrity through a weighting-ranking methodology, based on a grid cell resolution of 1 km x 1 km. Results showed that out of the three management zones, the RUZ in which the recreational activities that do not require physical developments are allowed constituted 82% of the park area as the first priority management zone. The proposed zoning procedure is believed to be a key step to improve management for both the study area and other national parks with the similar landscape features.