Using Landscape Character Analysis To Assess The Relationship Between Protected and Nonprotected Areas: The Case of The Küre Mountains National Park

Abstract

This paper describes the landscape character analysis method within the Kure Mountains National Park in Turkey. This study assesses structural differences in the distribution of landscape character types in the National Park, buffer zone and their fragment states. It is seen that these differences arise from biotic and abiotic factors but those abiotic factors have a stronger impact on diminishing biological diversity, disintegration and increase of isolation values. Through the basin were identified 345 landscape character types. Despite having similar values, the surface area of the protected area in the national park and the rural area are of significant differences in landscape character ratios and patchiness ratio. Patchiness is seen to be higher in rural areas. When looked at Shannon Diversity Index (SDI) values, it is seen that a high diversity of Landscape Character Types (LCT) exist in the rural area. Landscape diversity is higher in the rural area compared to the Kure Mountains National Park and the areal distribution of landscape character types is more regular. According to the National Park protection and National Park planning area values the patchiness ratio in the planning area as well as the landscape diversity is high and the areal distribution of landscape character types is more irregular.