Evaluation of environmental impacts and determination of carrying capacity in Pamukkale Special Environmental Protection Area

Humans can improve their benefit from nature with increase of transportation systems, communication and technology. They have been change the natural balance in a short time against to the nature with the use of the natural resources. This negative impacts cause a lot of natural disasters and environmental problems. Protecting of the natural areas which sensitive to the impact is become important in the end of the 19th century with the context of the increase of the environmental problems. Nevertheless, the impairment of existing tourism areas because of the intensive use and with the changes in the tourism and the recreation demand on 21th century cause a great the tourism potential of the protecting areas and because of all of these issues, protecting areas turn into tourism destinations. As a consequence, in protecting areas, protection/use balance has been change into intensive use of this areas. The Study area which is very important for Turkey and World where is situated in Denizli Pamukkale has many protection statutes like specially protected environment area, 1th Degree Archeological and Natural Protected Area, World Heritage Site, Wetland Area but there is some problems with protecting of the area. There is a need of sustainable use planning of the Pamukkale specially protected environment area because of the importance of the area by the values which is inherent to the area and the potential of the area by the touristic and recreational use. In this context, the impact of the existing usage of the tourism and recreation on the study area and its nearby surrounded is determined. In addition to this the carrying capacity of the Pamukkale-Hierapolis archeological site which is visited by average 1,8 million tourist has been calculated for three different route and for five different group intensity (50, 100, 150, 200, 250 person groups). Based on the questionnaire which is for native users of the area has been calculated Social Carrying Capacity. Determining of the environmental impact and calculating of the carrying capacity is lead to implications which is to sustain balance of the protection/use of the area and sustainable planning of the area for hand down to the next generations.