Visitor impact management approach: Bartin-Kastamonu Kure Mountains National Park example

Kure Mountains National Park is one of the important protected area in the world with its diversity of genetic resources, topography, unique geological structure, hydrological, climatic characteristics, soil quality, representative examples of eco systems and the natural, cultural, and recreational and land scape values. In addition, Kure Mountains National Park(KDMP) has been recognized as one of the hottest point of 100 protect priority European forests by the WWF in 1998. Visitor Impact Management is one of the methods used in the framework of decision-making in order to minimize the negative effects of increased recreation and tourism activities. Basically Visitor Impact Management is an approach that includes current conditions and problems, potential impacts and management action strategies. In the content of this research "Visitor Impact Management" approach was applied to minimize the negative effects visitors and in order to assist the management plan decisions for the Kure Mountains National Park. In addition, visitors profile, concept approaches, visitors demand and park's present problems, adverse effects, preventions, demands and ideas for standards and visitor's effect level were determined with surveys conducted to visitors, local people, managers and experts. Consequently Kure Mountains National Park's evaluation was made with Visitor Impact Management Approach under the obtained results.