EVALUATION OF GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES AND ECOTURISM OPPORTUNITIES OF AĞAÇBAŞI NATURAL PARK AND ITS CLOSE ENVIRONMENT

AĞAÇBAŞI TABİAT PARKI VE YAKIN ÇEVRESİNİN COĞRAFİ ÖZELLİKLERİ İLE EKOTURİZM OLANAKLARININ DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

Abstract

Natural parks attract many visitors with mainly their natural attractions and interesting beauties from historical, cultural and aesthetic perspectives. These facts prepare a ground for opening of these natural parks for the use of people taking into account certain criteria in terms of recreation and tourism. Thus, natural parks may host both daily recreational uses and tourism activities such as ecotourism. In Giresun city Located on the eastern Black Sea region, Ağaçbaşı Natural Park located in Giresun city central town İnişdibi county Çavlaktepe region is one of natural parks with high potential in terms of tourism types such as ecotourism and mountain tourism and recreational use and it attracts attention with its natural and social resources. Said Natural Park and its surroundings have ecotourism potential that may be utilized with local cultural attractions at many tableland and plains such as Ağaçbaşı tableland in this environment and due to its attractive topography, suitable and fresh climatic environment called climatherapy, lush vegetation and wild animal species. According to our field researches with the condition of considering protection- usage balance and principle of sustainability it is possible to perform many ecotourism activities like nature trekking, botanical tours, jeep safari, photo safari, horse safari, bike safari, wildlife watching, camping-caravan tourism, grass skiing, paragliding, mountain tourism and tableland tourism. Besides there are also opportunities in this environment suitable for winter tourism, cultural tourism and health tourism. While performing all necessary preparation it is very important to be attentive to protection and use balance and touristic arrangements and activities to be performed should be suitable uniqueness of the natural park Natural parks attract many visitors with mainly their natural attractions and interesting beauties from historical, cultural and aesthetic perspectives. These facts prepare a ground for opening of these natural parks for the use of people taking into account certain criteria in terms of recreation and tourism. Thus, natural parks may host both daily recreational uses and tourism activities such as ecotourism. One of natural parks with high potential in terms of tourism types like ecotourism and recreational uses in Giresun city of eastern Black Sea region is Ağaçbaşı Natural Park in Çavlaktepe area of İnişdibi County of central city of Giresun city. Said Natural Park was announced as Natural Park on 09 February 2010 according to 3rd article of National Parks law numbered 2873.Our main goal in this research dealing with Ağaçbaşı Natural Park is detailed research of natural park and its immediate environment; suggestions and recommendations about utilization of natural and human tourist resources considering principles of sustainability and examination of potential of improvement of tourism types like mainly ecotourism and highland tourism, rural tourism, health tourism, cultural tourism and winter tourism in this Natural park and in its surroundings. We think that our study will contribute to disclosure, protection and development of natural and human touristic resources hosted by Ağaçbaşı Natural park and its surrounding, planning and arrangements to be made for future in Natural park, to increase interaction between local community and Natural park and realization of a sustainable environment and rural environment and to solutions of current and future problems. There is a sloping and uneven topography with hills and valleys in Ağaçbaşı Natural Park and in its immediate vicinity. There are significant heights in NaturalPark and near vicinity. In Ağaçbaşı Natural Park and surrounding area there are permanent springs and seasonal streams. Almost entire Batlama Creek is in Natural Park. Also there are springs in this environment (Desput stream, Pınarlar mineral water, Kara spring, Çam spring, Yedigoze fountain). In this area where Ağaçbaşı Natural Park is located, Black Sea climate dominates with rainy seasons, quite small temperature difference between summer and winter seasons and relatively cool summers and mild winters (Atalay, 1997: 145). However Ağaçbaşı Natural Park and its immediate vicinity are in the range of approximately 1500-1800 m height and climate hardens as height increases, cold and humid character appears more, average monthly temperature decreases, winter season lasts longer. This climate features allow formation of important advantages in terms of climatic aspect in Natural Park and its surrounding area. Lesser temperature during summer season in this context leads formation of a cool and relaxing weather conditions and people of the coastal areas escape from inconvenient weather conditions and come to this place for relaxation. Other natural attractions in Ağaçbaşı Natural Park and its vicinity is source of various flora and fauna factors. In Ağaçbaşı Natural Park forest ecosystem has a distribution at 1 570 m-1700 m range. Dominant tree species are spruce (Picea orientalis) and beech (Fagus orientalis). This tree species create communities. There are also rhododendrons (Rhododendron luteum, Rhododendron ponticum) and alpine meadows are observed. In Ağaçbaşı Natural Park, 75 species belonging to 38 different families exist. The environment is rich in terms of wildlife and a variety of bird species and mammals inhabit. With this rich flora and fauna Ağaçbaşı Natural Park and its surroundings offer appropriate environments especially for wildlife watching and bird watching (ornithology), various safari types, Nature photography and trekking. As Ağaçbaşı Natural Park and its surroundings are rich in natural attractions also they have considerable appeal in terms of human touristic resources. Local cultural attractions in this environment especially in Ağaçbaşı (Melikli plain) highland, Kulakkaya highland,Fındıklık highland, Dişiçal highland and Keçilikbaşı highland are important tourist at

Özet

Tabiat parkları barındırdıkları başta doğal çekicilikler olmak üzere tarihi, kültürel ve estetik açıdan ilgi çekici güzellikleriyle, pek çok ziyaretçiyi kendilerine çekmektedirler. Bu durum tabiat parklarının, belirli kriterlerin göz önünde bulundurularak rekreasyonel ve turistik açıdan insanların kullanımına açılmasına zemin hazırlamaktadır. Böylelikle tabiat parkları hem günübirlik rekreasyonel kullanımlara hem de ekoturizm gibi turizm aktivitelerine ev sahipliği yapabilmektedir. Doğu Karadeniz Bölümü'nde yer alan Giresun ilinde, barındırdığı doğal ve beşeri kaynaklarıyla dikkati çekmeye başlayan; ekoturizm gibi turizm türleri ve rekreasyonel kullanımlar açısından potansiyeli oldukça yüksek tabiat parklarından birisi de Giresun Merkez ilçe İnişdibi Beldesi Çavlaktepe mevkiindeki Ağaçbaşı Tabiat Parkıdır. Sözü geçen tabiat parkı ve yakın çevresi, gerek ilgi çekici topoğrafyasıyla, yayla havası olarak adlandırılan tertemiz ve klimaterapi açısından uygun klimatik ortamıyla, zengin bitki örtüsü ve yabani hayvan varlığıyla, bu çevrede bulunan başta Ağaçbaşı Yaylası olmak üzere birçok yayla ve oba yerleşmelerindeki yöresel kültürel çekiciliklerle değerlendirilebilecek düzeyde ekoturizm potansiyeli barındırmaktadır. Yaptığımız saha araştırmalarına göre tabiat parkı ve yakın çevresinde, koruma-kullanma dengesini ve sürdürülebilirlik ilkesini dikkate almak şartıyla doğa yürüyüşü, botanik turu, jeep safari, foto safari, at safari, bisiklet safari, yaban hayatı gözlemciliği, kamp-karavan turizmi, çim kayağı, yamaç paraşütü, yayla turizmi, dağ turizmi gibi birçok ekoturizm aktivitesinin gerçekleştirilebileceği kanısındayız. Bunun yanı sıra bu çevrede kış turizmi, kültür turizmi, sağlık turizmi gibi turizm türleri için uygun ortamlar bulunmaktadır. Bütün bunlar gerçekleştirilirken, korumakullanma dengesine dikkat edilmesi, yapılacak turistik düzenlemelerin ve aktivitelerin, tabiat parkının özgünlüğüne uygun olması en önemli hususlardır