Kackar mountains national park resource values and determining the visitor profile

The Kaçkar Mountains are located in the northeast of Türkiye, in the Çamlıhemşin district of the Rize province, within the Eastern Black Sea Region. Hosting diverse ecosystems, the Kaçkar Mountains are rich in biological diversity. In addition to their natural, cultural, visual, and extraordinary resource values, they are home to a wide variety of fauna and flora. Within this environment, there are also species that are endangered and at risk of extinction. Numerous small and large crater lakes, formed as a result of geomorphological events, are found on the peaks and slopes of the Kaçkar Mountains. Both in terms of wildlife and plant diversity, the Kaçkar Mountains are one of the sensitive areas in need of protection. For this reason, on 31.08.1994, the Kaçkar Mountains were declared a National Park. Despite the protective policies for the valuable resources in the region, which began with the declaration of the National Park, the difficulties encountered due to the high demand for tourism in our country stand in contrast to the changes and developments achieved. The conservationist approach in this region has become stuck between the conservation of resources and tourism revenue. The presence of natural resources and the need for conservation have been endangered due to excessive visitor pressure, and some of our natural resources have already begun to disappear. It is at this point that observations and evaluations of the current situation have been made based on surveys conducted with visitors to the Kaçkar Mountains National Park, and solution proposals have been developed accordingly.