Leiden University

Mountain grasses have become suitable for livestock husbandry, particularly in the summer seasons. This economic activity led to seasonal migration for sheep pastures and hay-making in preparation for the winter season. People dealing with agricultural activities in the villages spend two months in their temporary residency on the highlands, namely yaylas, for “summer pasture” also known as “mountain highland.” At the beginning and the end of this movement, they have a transition period of approximately twenty days spent in mezra, which is located in terraces between the villages and highlands. Pokut plateau in Rize is one of the examples of Black Sea pasture where the transhumance culture is intense. Aside from its simplistic civic architecture with one-floor timber houses with stone foundation and partial stone façade, there is a rich biodiversity and fauna as part of the biocultural heritage. In 1990, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism emphasized its strategy for highland tourism through the Corridor of Yayla (highland) tourism. The seven thematic corridors mention sustainability and promotion of touristic activities, including winter tourism, cultural, food, and coastal tourism spots. In the case of the Eastern Black Sea region, this encompasses a tourism corridor of highlands connecting coastal cities from Samsun to Hopa in Artvin the east of Rize. Opening the summer pasture activities in highlands for tourists increased the number of hospitality services on top of the mountains. This did increase the number of tourists; however, it led to a decrease in the number of local visits due to disruption in the natural environment. The negative effects of overtourism and with it touristic developments are observed in Ayder Plateau which local people do not visit anymore. The case of Rize in the Black Sea region of Turkiye presents the challenges of climate change effects and rural tourism development on transhumance practices. Pasture tourism was slightly affected by these increasing temperatures, thus the migration of transhumance, which takes place between mid-April and the end of October, slightly shifted due to the melting of the snow cover on the highlands. In addition, the highland tourism project with the construction of a 7-meter-wide 2,600-meter long asphalt road caused the disruption to the biodiversity of the plateaus. The integrated tourism planning of Highland Pastural practices, including the social gathering, livestock growing, and transhumance culture is necessary to promote a slow tourism practices, in times of climate change.