Assessing the socio-economic effects of ecotourism activities on local communities (case of Camili biosphere reserve in Turkey)

In recent years, people's have emerged in demand for new goods and services as a result of changes. Country?s natural, cultural and historical values continues to be the country overcome the economic problems faced by the community in creating employment in rural areas, has a significant impact. Countries take advantage of these resources, the area's first regional and then to the country as the world. Development and economically be inevitably brings.Eco-tourism activities will take place in our forests. Forests will recognize with low income level of villagers in improving the facilities. The main purpose of eco-tourism activities; natural areas and reduce the negative effects of tourism, to replicate the benefits of forests to improve the peasants in the form can be ordered.The case study area, Camili Biosphere Reserve, is at the northeast part of the Turkey in Artvin, at the Georgia-Turkish border. There is an ongoing ecotourism project by Global Environment Facility. Face-to-face questionnaires with the local people benefited from ecotourism activities directly or indirectly form principal data source of the study. The study aims to explore the consequences of ecotourism activities on the economic developments of forest villages in the watershed.Questionnaires included various aspects including the personal information of respondents, their views and knowledge level on ecotourism activities, emigration from villages to cities, density of road network, production in livestock before and after ecotourism, agricultural production, national household income, living standards, and fuelwood usage. All those aspects were inquired both before and after the ecotourism activities. Data will be analyzed through descriptives, Chi-Square, paired T tests, and Wilcoxon analyses.