THE ECOTOURSIM POTENTIAL AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ALTINBEŞIK CAVE NATIONAL PARK (IBRADI/ANTALYA)

ALTINBEŞİK MAĞARASI MİLLİ PARKI’NIN (İBRADI/ANTALYA) FİZİKİ COĞRAFYA ÖZELLİKLERİ VE EKOTURİZM POTANSİYELİ

Abstract

Altınbeşik Cave National Park, the study area, is located within Antalya part of the West Taurus Region. The most outstanding characteristics of Altınbeşik Cave National Park are the presence of a cave of the same name (Altınbeşik Cave). The aim the study is to identify the physical and topographical features of the National Park of Altınbeşik Cave (İbradı/Antalya) and the surrounding area to reveal its tourism potential as an alternative destination. For the purpose of revealing the geographical features of the area and its potential as an ecotourism destination, a review of literature about the area was done. The site was visited at various times between the 2013 and 2014. During those visits, the geological and geomorphological features of the site were studied on the site. The vegetation structure and soil properties of the region were studied after the soil-plant relationship was examined. Also, interviews were conducted with the locals about the prospects for ecotourism. The study used topography maps from General Command of Mapping not only a scale of 1/100 000 (Konya-N27) but a scale of 1/25 000 (Konya-N 27 d3 ve d4) and geology maps from General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration with a scale of 1/100 000 (K-N 27). Using “MapInfo” and “Vertical Mapper” software, the maps for the study were obtained. The study field is located in the vicinity of the line which separate West Taurus Range from Mid Taurus Range. The site took its current land shape following Alpine Orogeny, which basically leaves behind folded and discontinuous structure. The site of the study is dominated by Cretaceous and Juracretaceous limestone formations and PaleogeneEocene flysch formations. The geomorphology of the study covers mainly Manavgat River Valley and the remaining area to the west of that valley. The territory took its current shape through the factors such as lithology structure, tectonic and karstic activity as well as erosion of the water. These factors led to the formation of geomorphological structures like various valley systems, caves, dolines, erosion surfaces, debris cones. The largest river in the study area is Manavgat River. The river, which lies to the east of the study site, runs from the north-west to Altınbeşik Mağarası Milli Parkı’nın (İbradı/Antalya) Fiziki Coğrafya Özellikleri… 523 Turkish Studies International Periodical For the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Volume 10/2 Winter 2015 south-west direction reaching the Mediterranean Sea. The average annual volumetric flow rate of the river was found to 70 m3/second by the Sinanhoca measuring station (1964-2013). The dry river bed that extends along the valley around the villages Ormana and Ürünlü converges with Manavgat River. The dry river bed is named by town locals as “Köprübaşı Brook” at Ormana and “Değirmen Brook” at Ürünlü. The river runs dry during summer months and becomes dry riverbeds. Annual rainfall at Akseki is 13,2 oC, at İbradi it is 14,4 oC . The highest average temperature at Akseki is 24,3 oC in July, and it is 26,1 oC in the same period of the year. The prevailing wind direction is North for all seasons. The wind direction at the study is North-east. The relative humidity is % 58,2 for Akseki and % 56,4 for İbradi. Akseki, which is located away from the coastline but open to the weather effects from the Mediterranean, gets an annual precipitation of 1336 mm. The soil in the region is mainly terrarossa. That soil type, which is usually found at areas where mild slopes meet steep slopes, have moderate depth and contains rocks in it. Various vegetation types can be found at study site. The dominant vegetation at the study site is the woods, which include Red Pine and Juniper. The Juniper trees which occupy the landscape enjoy the favorable climate and soil conditions. The patches of land left from the Red Pine wood were claimed by Maquis shrub land. The vegetation type of the study site can be described as Maquis and forest vegetation. The forest vegetation is referred as Pinus brutia, which is replaced by Juniperus excelca when they are destroyed. The patches of Pinus brutia trees are found around a small area to the southwest of Altınbeşik Hill but they predominates the area northern Kale Hill to the east of Manavgat River, where the slope of the mountain varies between 20o-40o. Pinus brutia trees flourish mostly on Paleogene-Eocene flysch, where soil conditions are relatively more favorable than those on limestone. The cave of Altınbeşik, which is located within the study site, is formed within the body of the Mesozoic limestones. At the mouth of the cave, which is one the finest examples of karstic formations with its unique natural beauty, one can observe all the features of a geography in that its geological, morphological, hydrographic, floral feature can be seen on the same spot. The cave of Altınbeşik (Düdensuyu) has the national park status and is located on the western slope of Manavgat River to the East of Ürünlü of Akseki. It’s at an hour walking distance from the village of Ürünlü. The cave of Altınbeşik is horizontal and active as the underground rivers inside it keeps running depending on the seasonal precipitations. The cave is the most important part of the national park. In addition to its natural beauty, the cave holds the potential to become a recreational and scientific discovery destination showcasing geological and geomorphological features of the region. The cave of Altınbeşik has different types of valley formations, folds, fault lines, over thrust nappes and karstic formations of various sizes and types. In terms of vegetation cover, the location is rich in coniferous trees and various types of maquis. The fact that its climate is moderate all year round means that ecotourism activities in the area can be 524 Baştürk KAYA – Mesut ŞİMŞEK – Ayhan AKIŞ Turkish Studies International Periodical For the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic Vo

Özet

Araştırma sahasını oluşturan Altınbeşik Mağarası Milli Parkı, Batı Torosların Antalya bölümünde yer alır. Altınbeşik Milli Parkı'nın en dikkat çeken tarafı Milli Park içerisinde aynı isimle bir mağaranın (Altınbeşik Mağarası) bulunmasıdır. Bu çalışma ile Altınbeşik Milli Parkı'nın fiziki coğrafya özellikleri ve ekoturizm potansiyelinin ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Saha genellikle Kretase ile Jura-Kretase yaşlı kireçtaşı formasyonları ve Paleosen-Eosen yaşlı fliş formasyonlarıyla temsil edilmektedir. Sahanın bugünkü şeklini almasında litolojik yapının yanı sıra, tektonizma, karstlaşma ve akarsu aşındırması gibi faktörler etkili olmuştur. Bu unsurlar, çeşitli vadi şekilleri, mağara, dolin, aşınım yüzeyi, birikinti konisi gibi sahanın jeomorfolojik yapısının şekillenmesine katkı sağlamıştır. Altınbeşik Mağarası Kretase yaşlı masif kireçtaşları içerisinde oluşmuştur. Manavgat Çayı, sahanın en önemli akarsuyunu oluşturur. KD-GB yönünde akan Manavgat Çayı, Altınbeşik Mağarası'nın doğusunda yer alır. Akdeniz ikliminin etkisinde kalan saha Erinç'e göre "çok nemli", De Mortanne'a göre ise "nemli iklimler" tipine girmektedir. Araştırma sahası dağ ve vadi manzaraları ile dikkate değer bir özelliğe sahiptir. Saha ayrıca mağara, polye, uvala, dolin gibi karst morfolojisi bakımından da oldukça zengindir. Bunun en güzel örneği ise Altınbeşik Mağarası'dır. Sahanın en önemli bitki örtüsünü Kızılçam ve Ardıç ormanları ile maki toplulukları oluşturur. Literatür bilgilerine göre araştırma sahası 60'ı endemik toplam 573 tür ile önemli bir floristik çeşitliliğe sahiptir. Altınbeşik Mağarası; Altınbeşik Mağarası Milli Parkı'nın en önemli ekoturizm kaynağını oluşturur. Sahanın dikkat çeken ekoturizm potansiyelleri arasında endemik bitkiler ve çeşitli hayvan türleriyle birlikte; mağara ziyareti, dağ yürüyüşü, foto safari gibi ekoturizm olanaklarının oldukça yaygın olduğu görülür