Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Recreational ecosystem services play a vital role in forest landscapes; however, their spatial assessment remains challenging due to the multifaceted nature of recreational functions. Integrating multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques–specifically the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) combined with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)–offers a robust framework for mapping recreational suitability. This study evaluates and maps the recreational suitability of the Olur Forest Planning Unit by incorporating nine key criteria related to landscape attributes, accessibility, and forest characteristics. The results indicate that accessibility-related factors, particularly proximity to roads (weight: 0.21) and water resources (0.21), are the most influential determinants of recreational suitability, followed by erosion risk (0.17) and land cover (0.11). The spatial analysis shows that 91.71% of the study area exhibits low to very low recreational suitability, primarily due to limited road access–only 4.47% of the area lies within 100 meters of road networks–and a relatively small proportion of forest cover. These findings highlight the importance of infrastructure and forest composition in enhancing recreational opportunities. The proposed methodology supports a better understanding of recreational ecosystem services and provides forest managers and policymakers with a practical tool for integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations into sustainable land management.