TY - JOUR AU - Arslan Muhacir, E. S. AU - Yavuz Özalp, A. PY - 2015/08/24 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Determining Potential of Coastal Areas in Producing Ecosystem Services by using AHP Method: A Case Study in Artvin, Turkey JF - Asian Journal of Applied Sciences JA - AJAS VL - 3 IS - 4 SE - Articles DO - UR - https://www.ajouronline.com/index.php/AJAS/article/view/2998 SP - AB - The aim of this study was to determine the potential of ecosystems in coastal areas to produce ecosystem services by a case study in Artvin province and express such potential in spatial terms. In the study, a GIS-based evaluation was made using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). In this context, CORINE 2006 land cover map was reclassified and 5 ecosystems were found in Black Sea shore of Artvin province, which was chosen as the study area. These ecosystems are urban, forests, cultivated, inland waters and coastal areas. Ecosystem services produced by the ecosystems found were identified by considering Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) report. Then these ecosystems were evaluated using AHP within themselves and in the context of services they produce. As a result, it was observed that the highest amount of provisioning services is provided by forests and cultivated, while the highest amount of regulating services and cultural services are provided by forests and urban, respectively. In the study area, the ecosystem services provided by ecosystems by the highest percentage include food, fresh water, climate regulation, water purification and waste treatment, aesthetic values and recreation and ecotourism. This study, by which the potential to produce ecosystem services was determined using land cover and analytic hierarchy process, provides suggestions for spatial-based planning studies in the sample of coastal areas ER -