Evaluation of carrying capacity in ecotourism development (Case study: Southern Karkheh protected area)

Abstract In the southern part of the protected area with an area of Karkheh about 4822 ha, the area around the city of Shush and the North-Western Province of Khuzestan province is located. This study aim to Evaluation of carrying capacity in ecotourism development in the southern part of the protected area. Therefore, in order to identify after the ecological, social and cultural pressures, in a scale of 1:50000 information to Arc GIS software environment were introduced, to produce maps of the criteria and the rating they were ere. First, to produce maps of weighted criteria, and gradated criteria the following criteria and ecological, social and cultural pressures with model analysis of networking (ANP) and Super Decisions software and with the integration of ecological carrying capacity map and cultural- social carrying capacity map and finally the ecotourism carrying capacity map was prepared. The results showed that the physical carrying capacity with the most appropriate amount in be (2398401 visitors per year) and with the medium amount (12946532 visitors per year) and the cultural- social carrying capacity with the lowest amount in the appropriate potential (33534 visitors per year) and in medium potential (1136499 visitors per year) to you Have assigned. The final map indicates that 32% (14058785 m2) of the region high carrying capacity, 42% (18131157 m2) of the region medium carrying capacity and 26% (11249151 m2) of the region has a low carrying capacity.