A system proposal for efficient conservation and planning of natural areas in specially protected areas in Turkey: Datca-Bozburun case study

Natural protected areas are often implemented as an effective tool for conserving biodiversity all around the world. However, although the number of protected areas has increased in number and size, biodiversity loss continues to increase at an unprecedented rate. The fact that loss of biodiversity continues at an alarming rate despite the increase in natural protected areas shows that designating a certain site as a natural protected area is unable to solve the problems alone. Natural protected areas can be parts of larger ecosystems and land use changes outside protected areas may threaten biodiversity by affecting ecological processes. As a result, natural protected areas may become isolated islands standing between the areas that have been altered by human-induced activities. However, natural protected areas should not be considered or managed as sites isolated from other protected areas or from their own surroundings. Lately, it has been understood that the nature conservation and management strategies at hand fail to effectively prevent natural protected areas from becoming isolated due to land use change, and this has led to the adoption of more holistic approaches at the international level. While holistic approaches to nature conservation were adopted throughout the world, nature conservation efforts in Turkey started only in the 19th century. Turkey, despite bearing the features of a continent with rich biological diversity thanks to its geographical location, has been mostly unable to preserve this richness. The very fact that the principal threats against biodiversity in Turkey are related to land use clearly highlights the significance of spatial planning for nature conservation in Turkey. However, spatial plans alone are often not effective enough to prevent human-induced pressures on natural protected areas. For this reason, it seems that there is a need for a spatial planning system that will both bring in an ecological perspective into spatial planning in Turkey and integrate land use change decisions into nature conservation processes. In this context, this study focuses on the problem of the current planning system that the natural protected areas in Turkey are not preserved effectively against the pressure and threats induced by the current land use changes. The hypothesis of this research is that "a planning system at the national level is a viable tool for ensuring the effectiveness of the preparation and implementation phases of plans in natural protected areas". In this context, the main questions of this research are as follows: "Which mechanisms and tools can be used to define an effective planning system that will ensure that natural protected areas will be protected in alignment with sustainable living, and how? Can a ecosystem based spatial planning system devised/created in this light be an effective solution to the sustainable preservation of natural protected areas?" In this context, the aim of this research is to propose a system that defines the mechanisms and processes to be used in the effective planning of natural protected areas. In the second chapter of the research, first, literature review is conducted to delineate the current state and the desired state and then the theoretical and conceptual framework that defines and analyses the components that make up the main subject matter of the research is presented. The research questions to be answered in this chapter include the following: What are the factors that affect the nature conservation processes? How does sustainability approach contribute to nature conservation and planning? It has been understood that an approach that prioritizes economic development negatively affects not only the natural environment but also human well-being as well. Following this, ideas questioning the existing modes of production and arguing the need for change came to the fore, giving rise to the concept of sustainable development. With the effect of sustainable development, nature conservation approaches evolved from only encompassing species and sites into holistic approaches that take account of the human-nature interaction. This shift has rendered more important the spatial arrangements that are based on the interaction between species and humans, in the context of biodiversity. Thus, the need for integrating natural protected areas with spatial planning in the landscape scale has been brought about globally. In the third chapter of the research, a comparative assessment is made between the nature conservation systems of the UK, Australia and Canada, which are all considered exemplary countries in the field of nature conservation, and Turkey, in order to determine the basic principles and requirements of an effective planning system in the field of nature conservation. This comparison highlights the fact that compared to England, Australia and Canada, there are fundamental shortcomings in the nature conservation system in Turkey. In the UK, Canada and Australia, internationally accepted criteria are used in nature conservation systems, policy and strategic framework are set by the central governments, and local governments play an active role in determining the legal grounds and decisions for implementation. On the other hand, in Turkey, spatial planning authority is centralized, but while some parts of natural protected areas are under the authority of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanism, some other parts are under the authority of the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affaires; there is no framework legislation on nature conservation; and the lack of integration of plans in natural protected areas with higher level spatial plans and sectoral plan programs undermines the effectiveness of nature conservation. In the light of the evolution of nature conservation approaches and comparative analysis of the abovementioned exemplary countries and Turkey in terms of nature conservation approaches, the necessities of the proposed planning system are identified as follows; bridging the gap between natural protected areas and national planning policies and strategies, the integration of natural protected areas into the broader landscapes, the adoption of an ecosystem-based approach, and a holistic and systematic approach in spatial planning. In the fourth chapter of the study, the proposed system for effective planning of natural protected areas is defined. This chapter answers the questions of what the efficient planning criteria for natural protected areas are, what the performance indicators in assessing the effectiveness of plans in nature conservation are, and how the planning system for the natural protected areas in Turkey should be. Different approaches to provide the necessary tools for defining the effective planning system of natural protected areas are discussed in the literature review; and Systematic Conservation Planning, Evidence-Based Conservation Planning, Bioregional Planning and National System Planning for Natural protected areas are defined as effective planning approaches to natural protected areas. The aims of the system are defined as follows: the prevention and reduction of threats to natural protected areas, the conservation of critical habitats, ensuring the participation of local communities and stakeholders, the conservation of biodiversity, the prevention of habitat fragmentation, the integration of natural protected areas with their surroundings, the identification and strengthening of natural protected areas at national and regional level, and the preservation of fragile and damaged ecosystems. In line with these aims, the issues addressed for the protected area management effectiveness evaluations and performance indicators used in measuring sustainability form the basis for the development of the criteria and indicators for an effective natural protected area planning system. Finally, the steps of the proposed planning systems are determined, and criteria and indicators are matched to the relevant steps. The proposed planning system consists of ten steps which are the determination of planning boundaries, the evaluation of existing conditions, the definition of vision and mission, the definition of purpose and conservation objectives, ecosystem based analysis, development of plan decisions, the preparation the draft plan, approval of the plan, implementation of the plan, monitoring and evaluation. The effective planning system for natural protected areas to be developed for Turkey, within the context of sustainability of protected areas, should be a holistic, target-oriented system defining the spatial planning process for protected areas. The effective planning system ensures the sustainability of ecological functions, creates ecological corridors linking natural protected areas to each other and to their surroundings, and considers the ecological consequences of land use decisions. The spatial planning system to be developed in this context is also used by decision-makers in assessing and improving the ecological effectiveness of existing plans. A hybrid method based on the analytical hierarchy process is proposed in assessing existing plans and determining the points to be improved. In this method, the weights of the indicators are first determined by the analytic hierarchy process, and then the indicators are scaled according to the evaluated plan. Finally, the weights of the indicators are multiplied by the quantified value, and the difference between the results and the effective planning system is determined. In the fifth chapter, to assess the effectiveness of the planning and implementation processes in Datça-Bozburun Specially Protected Area, the assessment method proposed in the fourth chapter is applied within the framework of the effective planning system of natural protected areas. In this chapter, first the specially protected areas in Turkey and large scale spatial planning decisions of these areas are scrutinized, and the current plan of the Datça-Bozburun Specially Protected Area is assessed as part of the case study. The Datça-Bozburun Specially Protected Area is located within the western Mediterranean Basin, and in Aydın subregion which is one of the NUTS 2 statistical regions of Turkey. The subregion comprises Aydın, Muğla and Denizli provinces. Being a specially protected area, covering areas under different protection status, and facing problems associated with tourism development have been significant criteria for the selection of the area as a case study. Secondly, the differences are identified between a planning system conducted according to the system proposed in the fourth chapter and the current planning system. There are a total of 16 specially protected areas in Turkey. However, given that Finike Submarine Mountains Specially Protected Area consists completely of a marine protected area and that the Gölbaşı Specially Protected Area does not yet have a 1/100.000 scale spatial plan prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanism, these two areas are not included in the scope of the study. When the values of the remaining 14 specially protected areas, the existing threats, and the 1/100.000 scale spatial plans decisions concerning these areas are evaluated, it is seen that the specially protected areas are depicted as areas subject to special laws; that since plan decisions related to those areas are not developed, they are excluded from the planning processes; and that this exclusion practice renders ineffective the 1/100.000 scale spatial plans that can provide the opportunity to plan the specially protected areas together with their surroundings. When the 1/25.000 scale Spatial Plan of the Datça-Bozburun Specially Protected Area is assessed according to the effective planning system of the natural protected areas, it is clear that the current plan does not identify interactions between the endemic and endangered species and planning area, that the syntheses of the biodiversity, endemic species, and habitats in the region are not used in developing the land use decision, that the public participation is not ensured, and that it is ambiguous under which conditions and indicators the monitoring and evaluation will be carried out. The absence of the mission and vision of the plan and the lack of ambition in the objectives and conservation goals are also notable shortcomings of the plan. Furthermore, in the higher level plan which is 1/100.000 scale Aydın, Muğla, Denizli Spatial Plan for the region, decisions have been made for the whole region and specific decisions have been left to the lower level plans. In addition, in the 1/25.000 scale spatial plan, planning decisions are made without a holistic assessment in the planning area, resulting in decisions incompatible with the ecological structure of the area. Considering the aforementioned findings regarding the 1/25.000 scale Spatial Plan of the Datça-Bozburun Specially Protected Area, in order to render the current plan more effective in nature conservation, this study proposes that it is necessary to first determine the stakeholders and their participation method, to revise the land use decisions in accordance with the current synthesis maps, and then to restart the planning process from the first step. In conclusion, the effective planning system of natural protected areas, which is a holistic and target-oriented system that describes how spatial planning for the natural protected areas should be conducted in the context of sustainability of natural protected areas, not only defines the mechanisms and processes for effective planning of natural protected areas but also provides a tool for assessing the effectiveness of the existing plans.