Human interventions on wetlands and their long term impacts on human well-being a study of Kızılırmak Delta case, Samsun, Turkey

Date

2009

Author

Gürçay, Melih

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Acknowledging the necessity of a detailed understanding of the dynamics and contributions of wetlands in decision making processes, this research aims to identify the trade-offs between human interventions and human well-being in wetlands. Being one of the thirteen Ramsar Sites of Turkey and providing various ecosystem functions, Kızılırmak Delta was determined as the case study area of the research. Following the literature review on wetlands and their valuation, an assessment framework was developed for analyzing the trade-offs in the Kızılırmak Delta. Following this framework, first the importance, values and functions of the delta were defined by evaluation of its ecological, socio-cultural and economic structures and function analysis. Then, the pressures on the delta and their impacts were analyzed through DPSIR (Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts and Responses) Framework by action analysis. Finally, the trade-offs in the delta were calculated in monetary terms through valuation of the functions of the delta. Because of time and data constraints only a small portion of the functions of the delta was quantified in monetary terms. Calculated functions of the delta provide 753.531.772 TL worth of services that constitutes the 34 % of total GDP of the delta. This value was accepted as the cost of trade-offs in the delta, because the pressures on the delta would result in the loss of this value.

Subject Keywords

City and regional planning.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12611408/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/19394

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis