Assessing ecosystem sustainability and green finance-based ecotourism opportunities in Akhar-Bakhar National Park

Abstract

New ways of planning and managing protected areas are becoming more important, with an integrated approach of ecosystem management, visitor management, and sustainable financing. This study aims to evaluate ecosystem sustainability and ecotourism potential in green finance in the new Akhar-Bakhar National Park, Azerbaijan, situated in semi-arid mountain ecosystem of Alazan/Ganykh River Valley. Six coded observation points were employed, GPS-based mapping, photographic documentation, landscape and vegetation observations, visible biodiversity indicators, anthropogenic pressure assessment and a scoring matrix (1-5) for ecotourism suitability was used to assess the situation in the field. It has been concluded that Torpaggala, the Alazan/Ganykh River viewpoints and the core visitor area are high potential places for controlled ecotourism, environmental education, birdwatching and landscape photography. By contrast, the Qaramesha-direction areas include sensitive geologic formations, animal tracks, mineral surfaces and potential wildlife corridors and therefore, should be restricted to guided scientific research and conservation monitoring. The results indicate that there is potential for the use of green finance for low impact infrastructure such as safety signs, observation platforms, route marking, visitor information boards and guide services. This research proposes a preliminary field-based framework to connect the ecosystem sustainability, the planning of ecotourism, and the need for green finance in Akhar-Bakhar National Park.