A research on the risks to unesco world heritage sites: Göreme National Park and the rock sites of Cappadocia

The natural and cultural heritage areas with universal value are being sourced every day by nature such as earthquakes, floods, erosion; it is faced with human-induced risks such as the negative effects of urbanization, tourism and infrastructure development. These risks negatively affect the uniqueness and integrity of many heritage sites. For this reason, strategies for risks should be developed in order to protect the heritage areas and transfer the heritage values to the future. In this context, the aim of this thesis is to identify and analyze the factors that affect the occurrence of risks threatening the heritage areas and determine and evaluate the risk levels, also to develop suggestions for reducing and preventing the risks. In the scope of the study, UNESCO World Heritage and UNESCO Endangered Heritage Areas were examined in order to illustrate how the concept of risk is addressed in the context of international contemporary approaches. The necessary international standards, analysis and evaluation tools were defined for risk management. Second, the legal and administrative practices for the sustainable preservation of the natural-cultural structure and values of Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. which were taken to the World Heritage List in 1985 with extraordinary cultural and natural landscapes, were investigated. Natural and anthropogenic risks were identified and mapped in the study area. Considering the risk levels as holistic, risk levels were evaluated. Finally, recommendations have been developed to use and update these maps for risk management purposes. In order to analyze and interpret the data obtained from literature review, archival survey and field study, evaluating statistically the Geographic Information System and the risks, Analytical Hierarchy Process of Multiple Criteria Analysis Methods was used. In this way, recommendations for measures to be taken to mitigate risks, priority areas and protection works to be carried out have been developed. Keywords: UNESCO World Heritage, Nature and Man-made Risks ,Risk Management, Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia.