Landscape Change and Implications on Protected Areas

The purpose of this study is to detect the characteristics of the landscape change in the protected area environments by using Remote Sensing, GIS and landscape structure indices. Dilek Peninsula Big Meander Delta National Park of Aydin Province, Turkey is the focus of this case study. SPOT 2X and ASTER images are utilized in object oriented classification to detect changes respectively between 1994 and 2005. 5 landscape structure indices are applied to the classified maps. The results have displayed a decrease of the coniferous forests, high maqui, low maqui, grasslands, salt marshes and salt flats, and an increase of the moderately high maqui, garrigue, ar- able lands and permanent crop fields. Artificial surfaces have slightly decreased. Major drivers of the landscape change includes urbanization, grazing, fire, and clearing of original vegetation for agriculture. Subsequently, coniferous forests, and high and low maquis have been most negatively affected from fragmentation. Matrix utility index has yielded that Dilek Peninsula Big Meander Delta National Park has been subjected to increasing edge effects.