Spatial Distribution of Natural and Anthropogenic Areas in Kastamonu Province (Northern Turkiye)

Abstract

Identifying parts of terrestrial ecosystems that are vulnerable or remote to human influence; It is extremely important for long-term land use planning such as conservation, sustainability and resource management. In this study, the spatial distribution and density of natural/anthropogenic areas within the administrative borders of Kastamonu province were examined. Factors reflecting human impact; It was determined as settlement areas and density, population density, current land use and road density. These four basic factors were transformed into spatial factor maps with the help of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The resulting map of the distribution and density of the member layers suitable for the fuzzy logic model was obtained by the fuzzy overlay method. Accordingly, a large part of the province is open to human influence. Settlements and agricultural activity areas in their immediate surroundings are the areas where anthropogenic impact is most intense. However, two large mountain ranges (Küre and Ilgaz Mountains) and parts of the rugged terrain have remained free from human influence. It is expanding its area with human-induced change areas, road construction, mining and forestry. Areas suitable for economic activity are areas of potential human-caused degradation.