Abstract:

With the increasing population of the world, developments such as unplanned growth, urbanization, industrialization and accordingly climate change have made it necessary to protect natural resources. In this context, National Parks are the leading natural resources under protection. The main factor that led to the emergence of the national park concept was the need to protect natural, historical and cultural values. For this purpose, Beysehir Lake National Park, which is the second largest national park, has been valued. Contingent Valuation Method and Travel Cost Method are used in the appraisal. During the data collection phase, 383 samples were determined using the Proportional Sampling Method, and the surveys were conducted with visitors within the national park borders in the summer of 2019. According to the Conditional Valuation Method for the Beyşehir Lake National Park, 186.838.123 TL was calculated, 453.612.000 TL according to the Travel Cost Method and the total economic value was determined as 640.450.123 TL. The consumer surplus per visitor, that is, the fee that a visitor is willing to pay for a visit to the national park in one year, was calculated as 2.202 TL. All findings obtained with a stake in the country's national income in light of the economic value of Turkey and the second largest national park was revealed the existing potential. Its economic value should be evaluated in development policies, and its existing potential should be presented to the social benefit of people by protecting it within the framework of environmental protection policies.

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