FACTORS AFFECTİNG THE SUSTAİNABİLİTY OF MEDİCİNAL AND AROMATİC PLANTS İN KÖPRÜLÜ KANYON NATİONAL PARK, TURKEY

Koprulu Kanyon is one of the largest national parks with a high diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) in Turkey. Local communities gather MAPs to provide for their subsistence needs (e.g. food and primary medicine) as well as to generate cash income to lift their lives out of poverty. However, the lack of a comprehensive management mechanism for controlling the wild-collection of these species threatens their long-term sustainability. However, the sustainable wild collection of these species is necessary to meet the needs of present and future generation ? the essence of sustainable development. In view of this desired goal, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the factors and also interrelationship among those factors that directly and/or indirectly affect the sustainability of MAPs in Köprülü Kanyon National Park. The conceptual framework for sustainable use of natural resources developed by the World Conservation Union Sustainable Use Specialist Group was adapted to the study to assess the factors affecting the sustainability of MAPs in the national park. The results of this analysis revealed that population, institutional (formal and informal), and economic factors and interrelations among them directly and/or indirectly influence the sustainability of MAPs in the national park. Assessment of the factors showed that a powerful management plan and permanent monitoring mechanism are needed to achieve the long-term conservation and sustainability of MAPs. Finally, possible conservation options and instruments are examined for promoting and ensuring the long-term sustainability of MAPs in the national park.