The Geomorphosite Potential of the Badlands Around Küpyar, Manisa, Turkey

Abstract

The formation of rills and gullies represents an important indicator of land degradation and generates some of the highest erosion rates in the world. Nonetheless, in certain places, badland sites characterized by intense rill and gully erosion have become important natural tourist attractions. Many parts of Turkey are subjected to these types of erosion, but the possibility of using badlands as geomorphosites for tourism and education has yet to be explored. The area around Kupyar Hill, Manisa Province, hosts an interesting assemblage of landforms that have developed as a result of intensive rilling and gullying. These features have attracted the attention of local mountaineering and nature sports clubs, and this has helped to enable the area to become a tourist destination. The main objective of this study was to evaluate whether the landform assemblage hereabouts has the potential to be designated as a geomorphosite for tourism and education. Initially, it was necessary to identify all the clubs that include this region in their activity programs. Thereafter, it was possible to conduct face-to-face interviews with club managers, to obtain information about their routes, and to analyze photographs on the basis of pictorial semiotics. A questionnaire was completed by 108 individuals who visited Kupyar. The results suggest that visitors are not well informed about the processes that have led to formation of the rills and gullies, but there is a clear interest in these features and their development. The esthetic, economic, educational, scientific, and touristic value of the region was analyzed within the framework of different geomorphosite assessment methods. Those areas characterized by rilling and gullying were delimitated during detailed field research, and a geomorphosite map was produced with two routes that can be used for geotourism and geoeducation. Protecting this area as a geomorphosite appears to represent the most progressive decision that could be taken in terms of land use planning. Moreover, it could help to generate new sources of income for the local people and stem emigration from rural settlements to neighboring towns and cities.