Planning scheme of Köyceğiz-Dalyan basin in the context of green infrastructure

In this study, green infrastructure planning scheme for Köyceğiz-Dalyan River Basin as the country's first Special Protection Area (ÖÇKB) has been laid out. Within the development of this scheme, the effects, possibilities and limitations of the river basin and its attachment with urban realms have been assessed under the well-defined green infrastructure system. Given the partial and/or lack of management activities on planning and conservation pursuits, a holistic and integrated green infrastructure scheme has been constructed. In this context, the current problems were identified and landscape patterns were analyzed using landscape metrics for the study area. Assessing multiple problems at different scales in the region, literature, field studies, documents, landscape and structure analysis of the data, some green infrastructure system was schemed in order to provide the basin sustainability at both regional and urban scales. As a result, 'core area' was defined with forests, wetlands, sweetgum populations and the coastal area on a regional scale in order to ensure the healthy ecological and socio-cultural processes and to approach in a systematic and holistic ways towards existing problems and stress in the basin. Rivers, streams and creeks affecting the basin were defined as the ecological corridor and following this process, a green infrastructure was schemed on a regional scale with a matrix of the ecological corridor and core area. Within the urban context, Köyceğiz and Dalyan settlements were identified through green infrastructure component of urban matrix, and socio-cultural infrastructure analysis was developed to achieve an integrated green infrastructure scheme. So effective management mechanism of regional and urban green infrastructure schemes were defined, and the basin sustainability based on a strategic decision to implement the conservation, planning and management model was conceived. Keywords: Köyceğiz-Dalyan River Basin, Green infrastructure scheme, Landscape ecology, Landscape pattern, Green infrastructure planning and management model