Ecological Capability Evaluation for extensive and intensive recreational uses of Balqur Watershed of Kardeh dam in Mashhad using Model fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

Working within ecotourism planning framework, this research is aimed at investigating ecological potential provided by Balghur watershed (Mashhad, Iran) in terms of sustainable utilization of natural resources for the sake of nature travelling, so as to determine its environmental capacities. Used to evaluate the region’s potential in terms of recreational activities were the following parameters: slope, aspect, elevation, soil texture, soil erosion, vegetation coverage (in percent), bed rock, relative humidity, temperature, number of sunny days, distance to communication roads, distance to ground waters, distance to residential areas, SAR, look out and land uses. Collected for the time period 2014 – May 2015, the required data was obtained from statistics and information provided by Iranian national census conducted in 2004, related books and journals, similar researches, topographic maps of 1:25,000 scale surveyed by Natural Resources Administration Office in Khorasan-e-Razavi province, Iran (2004), visiting the area and surveying a set of experts. Once finished with data gathering, fuzzy - analytic hierarchy process was used to evaluate the region’s potential of supporting centralized and extended recreational uses. The results indicated that, when centralized recreational uses were concerned, 19.6% of the region enjoyed a good potential, 16.6% of the region provided very good potentials, and 28.1% (2587 hectares) of the region had moderate potentials while 24.3% (2229 hectares) was of poor potential and, finally, 11.3% (1044 hectares) was very poor in providing such uses with the required provisions. However, when concerned with extended recreational uses, 18.1% of the region enjoyed a good potential, 26.1% of the region provided very good potentials, and 24.6% (2271 hectares) of the region had moderate potentials while 10.3% (945 hectares) was of poor potential and, finally, 20.8% (1923 hectares) was very poor in providing such uses with the required provisions. Accordingly one can suggest that this region possesses good potentials in terms of developing ecotourism industry (either centralized or extended recreations).