Küre Mountains National Park ( Turkish: ''Küre Dağları Milli Parkı''), in the Black Sea Region of Turkey, was established in 2000. The national park stretches over the mountain range of

Küre Mountains Küre Mountains (, formerly İsfendiyar Mountains) is a mountain range in the Black Sea Region, Turkey. It stretches close and parallel to the central part of the southern coast of the Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marg ...

and is located in the districts Pınarbaşı, Cide, Şenpazar, Azdavay, Kurucaşile, Ulus, and Amasra, of the

Kastamonu Kastamonu, formerly Kastamone/Castamone () and Kastamon/Castamon (), is a city in northern Turkey. It is the seat of Kastamonu Province and Kastamonu District.

and

Bartın Bartın is a city in northern Turkey, near the Black Sea. It is the seat of Bartın Province and Bartın District.Black Sea Region, extending from the west bank of the

Bartın River Bartın River (''Bartın Çayı''), anciently known as Parthenius or Parthenios (), is a small river in the east of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Its source is in the Ilgaz Mountains, in Kastamonu Province and Karabük Province. The river flows ...

to the east bank of the

Kızılırmak River The Kızılırmak (, Turkish language, Turkish for "Red River"), once known as the Halys River () and Alis River, is the longest river flowing entirely within Turkey. It is a source of hydroelectric power and is not used for navigation. Geogra ...

, covering a distance of 300 kilometers. The Küre Mountains National Park (KMNP) is one of Turkey's 41

national parks A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

, covering 80,000 hectares of protected area featuring diverse

terrain Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

and

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

. Within its boundaries lies a core zone of 37,753 ha (93,290 acres) with an average elevation of 500 m (1,600 ft). The Küre Mountains National Park (KMNP) has a diverse landscape and varied

topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scienc ...

structure that houses a wealth of

habitats In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

and

. The park's significance lies in its rich biodiversity values, habitats, canyons, caves, fountains, waterfalls, cultural values. In addition to its natural assets, KMNP is a destination for

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

in Turkey, attracting visitors drawn to its folkloric values and the presence of traditional wooden houses. KMNP stands as a natural conservation area, among Turkey's largest protected areas, featuring old-growth forest formations. It is considered as an endangered 'humid forest eco-systems under the influence of the black climate sea' which includes a variety of habitats such as mixed forests of fir and beech, sea and coastal habitats, grasslands, and rocky areas. It also recognized as one of the 100 Forest Hot Spots of Europe that require protection as falls within 200 eco-regions, globally identified by the WWF.

History

As part of the Euro-Siberian,

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and Irano-Turanian phytogeographical regions and KMNP serves as a physical and social threshold. In 1988, Küre Mountains National Park was designated as one of the priority areas for protection by the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

(WWF), with contributions from the Turkish department. From 1998 and 2000, the Turkish Ministry of Forestry conducted 'The Project on Management of National Parks and Protected Areas, the Preservation of Biological Diversity and Rural Development' under the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

(UNDP) and the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

. Under the framework of this project, began the phase of conservation in this area. The park was established on July 7th, 2000. The

lie among the temperate forests of North Anatolia and the Eastern Black Sea Mountain System. Of this expanse, around 37,000 hectares have been designated as a "National Park", with a primary aim to conserve nature and a buffer zone. The term "

buffer zone A buffer zone, also historically known as a march, is a neutral area that lies between two or more bodies of land; usually, between countries. Depending on the type of buffer zone, it may serve to separate regions or conjoin them. Common types o ...

" was incorporated into Turkey's conservation agenda and was brought under official protection in 2000. As a result of these efforts, the National Park Administration of Küre Mountains oversees the management of the national park. It operates under the authority of the Regional Directorate of Forestry and Water Affairs in Sinop, falling under the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks of the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs. These operations are governed by the National Parks Law, numbered 2873, aims to conserve biodiversity.

Ecotourism

The Küre Mountains region is nationally and internationally renowned for its abundant biodiversity and extensive old-growth forest formations, making it a prime destination for eco-tourist groups to visit the area. With the designation of the national park, tourism development in KMNP began in the early 2000s which raised concerns due to the lack of adequate infrastructure services by the Turkish government. In response to this issue, Küre Mountains Ecotourism Project of WWF Turkey and the Zumrut Village Ecotourism Project have successfully worked to manage ecotourism in Turkey's protected areas. Alongside these projects, local people and

conservationists The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the ...

were involved in support of protecting their environment. Ecotourism projects opened new job opportunities and alternative livelihoods which were compatible with education, raising awareness, and sustainable resource management for these local communities.

Events

In 2001, the Pinarbasi Ecotourism Center was introduced to provide tourist training courses and issued 20 local nature guides. Following this event, in 2002, ecotourism guide maps were published to inform domestic and international visitors of the multifunctional forests in the Küre Mountains. Over the period spanning 2001 to 2006, the project facilitated awareness campaigns on sustainable forest use and engaged local communities in managing the national park, identifying ecotourism opportunities such as wildlife watching and

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

. Ecotourism activities generated income, particularly benefiting women, foresters, and unemployed youth, providing alternative livelihoods and enhancing community engagement with nature conservation. These efforts would later on lead to the verification process of the Protected Area Network Park (

PAN Parks The PAN Parks Foundation was a non-governmental organisation that aimed to protect Europe's wildernesses. The foundation filed for bankruptcy in May 2014 in The Netherlands, but was denied the status by the court and is currently in liquidation. ...

). In April 2012, the park was designated as a certified Protected Area Network Park (

) as part of the "Enhancing Forest Protected Areas Management System in Turkey Project," supported by the

Global Environment Facility The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (P ...

(GEF). Under these provisions, well-managed protected areas conducts successful recreational and tourism activities to maintain the national park's natural assets and the cultural wealth of its authentic folkloristic characteristics.

Activities

Wildlife observation Wildlife observation is the practice of noting the occurrence or abundance of animal species at a specific location and time, either for research purposes or recreation. Common examples of this type of activity are bird watching and whale watchi ...

Trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain hu ...

Hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

Horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...

Mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

Caving Caving, also known as spelunking (United States and Canada) and potholing (United Kingdom and Ireland), is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is the scientific ...

Canyoning Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a sport that involves traveling through canyons using a variety of techniques, such as walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling (rappelling), swimming, and raft ...

Rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

Biodiversity

The

are renowned as one of Turkey's most abundant areas for

canyons A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

and

caves Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock ...

, which played a significant role in the decision to establish the area and its surroundings as a national park. The park provides a rich variety of habitat diversity and old-growth forest formations, which holds significant social and environmental value. The mountain range stands out as one of the most biodiverse in the western Black Sea Region of Turkey, particularly notable for its rich

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular Taxon, taxa, life forms, structure, Spatial ecology, spatial extent, or any other specific Botany, botanic ...

. It serves as a valuable source of data for understanding the ecological characteristics and competitive abilities of various tree species. In the western sector of the Küre Mountains, a total of 122 significant plant areas have been identified. There are 157

endemic species Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

, 59 of them being in the

red list The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological sp ...

and 45 plant taxa classified as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, with 32 of these classified as

rare species A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon, scarce, or infrequently encountered. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and is distinct from the term ''endangered species, endangered'' or ''threatened ...

. The protected area is also home to 48 out of 160 mammal species.

Gallery

File:Across_the_mountains.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Ilıca_Şelalesi.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Küre_Dağları_Milli_Parkı_Menük_köyü_Cide_Kastamonu.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Küre_Dağları_Milli_Parkı_Çukurçal_Köyü_Cide_Kastamonu.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Küre_mountains.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:On_the_road_to_mountains.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Pinarbasi1.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Pinarbasi10.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Pinarbasi2.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Pinarbasi3.jpg, Küre Mountains National Park File:Pinarbasi5.jpg File:Pinarbasi6.jpg File:Pinarbasi7.jpg File:Pinarbasi8.jpg File:Pinarbasi9.jpg File:Road_along_the_mountains.jpg File:Road_in_the_forest.jpg File:Road_through_the_mountains.jpg File:Çatak_Kanyonu1.jpg

References

Wikipedia Student Program {{DEFAULTSORT:Kure Mountains National Park National parks of Turkey Mountain ranges of Turkey Geography of Kastamonu Province Geography of Bartın Province Landforms of Kastamonu Province Landforms of Bartın Province Tourist attractions in Kastamonu Province Tourist attractions in Bartın Province Pınarbaşı District, Kastamonu Cide District Şenpazar District Ulus District 2000 establishments in Turkey Protected areas established in 2000