Using gis capabilities for the determination of rural recreation areas: the case of Acarlar floodplain

The protection of nature and the environment is important in terms of preserving diversity and ensuring sustainable development without destroying the integrity of ecosystems. Natural protected areas, which are among the protection statuses in our country, have an important place within this context. As of the end of 2020, 2859 natural protected areas have been registered in Turkey. Acarlar Floodplain, which is also a Wildlife Development Area and listed in the List of Wetlands of National Importance according to the Ramsar Convention, is a 1st Degree Natural Protected Area. Therefore, it has become an eminent requirement to determine the attractive areas for daily recreational uses within Acarlar Floodplain by considering the protection priorities. To fulfil this aim, a geographical information systems (GIS) supported study was conducted for the determination of suitable areas for trekking and bird watching activities via weighted overlay method. As a result of the analyses including 3 different suitability classes the northeast parts of the study areas were found to be suitable for bird watching while south, east, relatively north anda northeast regions were detected suitable lands for trekking. Due to the large amount of protected areas that cover the floodplain, the vast majority of Acarlar was reserved as restricted regions. It is aimed that the results obtained will contribute to the evaluation of the touristic and recreational potential of Acarlar Floodplain in accordance with the protection status and purposes as well as to the Wetland Management Plan development processes which is still under preparation.