Assessing ecological potential and prioritizing areas prone to ecotourism development on an urban scale

Abstract Today, proper planning and comprehensive use of the environment is based on recognizing the potential of the land. The selection of recreational places such as tourism development should be based on ecological, social and economic components, no development will lead to sustainable development without proper studies and planning for development. Given the population growth and human need for recreational spaces, sometimes studies for tourism development seem necessary. Due to the importance of parks and green space in human life, in this study, appropriate locations for the development of natural tourism and optimal location for tourism development were measured and selected. For this purpose, from the method of global networks and criteria for selecting the location of the forest park, water resources, road access, landscape, climate, forest percentage, and topography were examined according to the conditions of the region. The sum of the scores per square showed that the score obtained by the squares is between 25 and 50 points. The result indicates the ability of the measured units to evaluate from inability to weak to develop recreation.

Studies for land use planning and allocation at all national, regional, regional and local levels is one of the levers of sustainable development. The environment is the most important component of human life. In a way, one of the most important challenges for governments in this century is environmental crises. Therefore, it is necessary to apply the right methods of ecological resource management with a sustainable development attitude. (Nakhaei et al. 2010). Urban green space provides a pleasant environment for urban dwellers with longevity, stress reduction, relaxation and sports opportunities, and allows them to connect with nature and engage in outdoor activities. In fact, green space and its use is of particular importance to planners. (Lee and Ghosh 2018, Chen 2017, Roland and Debrah 2014). A quiet environment, such as parks, waterfront areas and more Recreational spaces are an integral part of a city and are beneficial to the physical and mental health of individuals (Gupta et al. 2012). Studies on vegetation indicate the sign and its effects (Akpinar et al. 2016 and Yang 2009). Psychological studies have also shown this (Cutter et al. 2018).

Topographic map of Ardabil city, section 1, scale 1: 50,000 of the country's surveying organization and other required maps were prepared and based on the network method, the map was divided into square pieces. Based on the UTM lines on the topographic map, the square was selected and the length of each side of the square (dimensions of each side of the grid 12 cm on the map) was considered. (Barzeh Kar, AH, 1384). Finally, 20 evaluation units were obtained. Then, the effective factors in this method, which include (height difference to the region itself), the percentage of forest relative to the area, water resources, landscape and road, were identified and extracted from the topographic map. Analysis and identification of ecological resources was done in the units and scoring and scoring was done according to the criteria of forest park selection and the relevant ecological model using the network method. Also, using satellite images of Google Earth software and frequent field visits, the characteristics of the areas were reviewed and identified, and finally scoring was done and compared with the relevant model, and then recreable and non-recreable areas were separated. From the topographic map of scale 50000/1 of the country's surveying organization to prepare maps of height from the surface, extract information map of water resources and access routes and roads and to estimate the percentage of forest and canopy density from vegetation map information of scale 1.25000 The General Department of Natural Resources of Ardabil Province was used. Landscape information was also obtained through field visits and navigation and Google Eearth software. Recreational power assessment was performed based on the network ecotourism model in three steps. In the first room, physical resources such as (altitude, water resources, length of road per unit and access, topography) and biological data (vegetation) in the area were identified. And landscape information was reviewed by Google Earth field surveys and satellite imagery. Then, climate data were prepared and analyzed and summarized. In the final stage, in order to evaluate the ecological potential of the area to select the location for the forest park and recreation, the characteristics of the units were compared with the ecotourism model of the networks for the forest park location. And suitable units were determined for the development of recreation. In the first step, the structure of the network was described with the aim of evaluating the recreational potential of the region to select the location of the forest park. There is water, perspective and access. In the next level and the final stage, the total score of each unit measured in 5 classes is between 100-50 and quality classification in 5 classes. Table 1) and in the fourth level, suitable places for recreation and suitable areas for recreation development, after comparison with the following classes, were placed in several classes of powerlessness, weak power and medium power. Classes 3, 4, 5 indicate suitable places for tourism development.

In this study, in order to determine the potential of the land for the development of ecotourism activities, the networking method was used. And the results showed Table (2) - Most units do not have the capacity according to the network model to develop recreation. It should be borne in mind that any model for use in different areas may have advantages and limitations. In other words, the specific model of each region is a function of the specific conditions of that region. Therefore, with heavy field operations and complete and accurate knowledge of the characteristics of the area, the model should be determined so that the best and most accurate result in the evaluation can be achieved. This study showed that according to the results of this method, the degree of land quality for the development of recreation in the units is significantly different, so the place of recreation development should be determined along with studies. Given that people are the main beneficiaries of recreation areas, the manner and function of their choice of recreation space can be of great help to researchers in planning recreational projects. Recognizing the places where the density and pressure of the population is higher and the reason for this density makes it possible to properly evaluate and design the distribution of facilities and to transfer the pressure of recreational use to less visited places that Is one of the main objectives of this study and moderated the environmental damage caused by tourist density. One of the basic steps to promote the development of any country is the optimal use of all its resources with scientific management. Due to the increase in population and the need for recreational areas, it is sometimes necessary to identify areas prone to ecotourism use through ecological potential assessment studies. For this purpose, it is suggested to use newer evaluation methods. And the results of these researches should be compared with the previous methods and results, so that better results of land capability for the desired land use are of great importance. The need to protect and support areas with special habitats is more important than the development of tourism.