Planning of Izmir-Karaburun Peninsula as Biosphere Reserve Area

Biosphere Reserve Areas are a special category which includes the conservation attempts without alienating from human. The areas of special international interest in terms of natural and cultural resources are officially registered by the Man and The Biosphere Program of UNESCO from 1970. Only one of the 531 biosphere areas from 105 countries in the World belongs to our country (Camili (Macahel) Village - Artvin). The research aims to present the biosphere reserve concept which is new for our country, to attract attention to Karaburun Peninsula which is a significant area in global scale and to find a way for the conservation-usage problem of the area. In accordance with this purpose, in the first step the biological and cultural significance of the area and threatening factors have been described. Zoning of biosphere reserve area has been carried out in accordance with priority and targets of conservation-usage on species which are needed to be conserved, habitats and area usage basis. In consequence of zoning, 8% of the area is determined as Core Zone which bases the conservation, 48% as Buffer Zone which permits controlled usage and supports conservation and 44% as Development Zone.