VISITOR CARRYING CAPACITY FOR RECREATION TREKKING ROUTES IN PROTECTED SITES: ULUDAĞ NATIONAL PARK SAMPLE

This paper suggests an approach for calculating the visitor carrying capacity in protected sites with the example of Uludağ National Park (UNP) which is one of the major touristic and recreation destination in Turkey. First phase of the approach includes landscape character analysis and assessment work. Secondly, visitor carrying capacity calculation was carried on an ecological basis. Bursa city was founded on the mountainside of Uludağ, with a height of 2543 m., which was declared as a national park in 1961. There are numerous projects with the aim developing touristic activities in Uludağ implemented by local and central administration in recent years. These projects have been initiated with the idea of opening UNP to use not only in winter, but throughout the year. Also there is a long term protection plan of the UNP with three different protection categories such as absolute protection zone, limited development zone and controlled development zone; and trekking routes are within the limited development zone area. The present study examines the use of one of the eight different trekking routes (TG-2.Sarıçayır Peak - German Meadow Location- Çobankaya - Softaboğan Location) defined in long term development plan. The result shows that real visitor carrying capacity of the studied trekking route is 38% less than actual physical carrying capacity due to the limitations indicated by the landscapes characteristics. It can be assumed that the studied 4.5 km trekking route is faced with landscape deterioration problems due to trekking activities in future, and requires landscape management and monitoring resolutions. This paper contributes that, the estimations for visitor carrying capacity should be based on landscape character analysis and assessment with the purpose of preventing ecological deteriorations in trekking routes used for recreation