Assessment of Ecotourism Potential of Geomorphic Sites at Asyab-Kharabeh Catchment Area in North West of Iran by Pralong Method

The relation between geomorphologic issues with tourism is one of the distinguished interdisciplinary research approaches in recent years. By the establishment of such relation, geomorphologic tourism sites are defined as geomorphological forms and processes which will acquire scenic/aesthetic, scientific, cultural, historical and /or social /economical value depending on human perception from geological, geomorphological, historical and social effective factors of these places. Therefore introduction of geomorphic sites at Asyab Kharabeh catchment area and presentation of their ecotourism potentials was determined as the main objectives of this research. Pralong method was used for the assessment of ecotourism potentials of the catchment area based on the existing geomorphological sites. The results showed that the under studied sites have the required potential as a geomorphologic tourism place and can be considered as the natural and tourism resources of the region.Therefore the value of these geomorphic sites is mainly due to their high scientific values. The most important factors which affecting on decreasing the value of such sites would be difficult access, being far away from population centers, lack of introducing the potentials of the area, people’s view about tourism, the manner of spending leisure times and finally non-paying attention to ecotourism in its real sense. At present Asyab-Kharabeh fall as the only geomorphological site, is used with non-ecotourism methods and no attention is paid to the function of morphogenetic systems which are the producer of such attractions. Finally presenting a new view to the catchment areas and geomorphological units and defining them in a frame of ecotourism concepts are of the main achievements of this study, which is required to be followed by the Iranian researchers, in order to be able to accomplish this desire that how we can make a relation between the nature of morphogenetic systems and what ever the planners need.