This research was carried out at the Öşkvank Monastery, located within the Uzundere district of Erzurum province in the northeast of Turkey. Öşkvank Monastery is a significant cultural heritage and tourism asset for the region with a history dating back to the 10th century. Despite its importance as a tourism attraction, the monastery currently lacks any protection or management strategy that threatens the transfer of the monastery to future generations. This research focuses on the management of cultural heritage through sustainable tourism development, and it was conducted using a mixed methodology, combining quantitative and qualitative studies. As part of the research, a survey was made, and Öşkvank Monastery was evaluated in terms of sustainable tourism principles. The survey results showed that the participants did not appreciate Öşkvank Monastery regarding sustainable tourism principles. A SWOT analysis was performed through a focus group study to identify the internal (strengths, weaknesses) and external (opportunities, threats) conditions of the region in relation to sustainable tourism. Based on the SWOT analysis, a TOWS matrix was developed and strategies for sustainable tourism development were formulated. TOWS strategies were classified by the content analysis method, and an eight-step Cultural Heritage Management Framework (CHMF) was prepared.

Alternatif turizm çeşitlerinden biri olan ekoturizm, 1980’li yıllarda doğal ve kültürel alanlara yönelik yapılan bir etkinlik olarak ortaya çıkmış ve turizm endüstrisinin hızla büyüyen alt sektörlerinden biri haline gelmiştir. Ekoturizmin bir çeşidi olan mağara turizmi son zamanlarda macera ve doğa sporlarına meraklı pek çok ziyaretçi için alternatif bir turizm çeşidi olmuştur. Ülkemiz sahip olduğu 40.000’in üzerinde mağara sebebiyle, dünyadaki diğer ülkelerle karşılaştırıldığında “mağara cenneti” olarak tanımlanabilir. Çalışmada yer alan ve Erzurum iline bağlı İspir ilçesinde yer alan Elmalı Mağarası, sahip olduğu ilginç jeolojik ve jeomorfolojik yapısı, sarkıt ve dikitleri ve 400 m ye ulaşan uzunluğuyla ülkemizin önemli mağaralarından birisidir. Birbiriyle bağlantılı ve paralel uzanan iki galeri ve toplam 8 salondan meydana gelen mağarada sığ göller, çok çeşitli damlataşı oluşumları (sarkıt, dikit, sütun vb) görülmeye değerdir. Bu araştırmanın amacı, Erzurum ilinin alternatif turizm potansiyelinin incelenerek, bölgenin sahip olduğu mağara turizmi potansiyelin nasıl turizm sektörüne kazandırabileceğini Elmalı mağarası örneğinde ortaya koymaktır. Bu kapsamda “Elmalı mağarasının mevcut turizm potansiyeli belirlenip, bu potansiyelin, doğal ve kültürel kaynak değerleri açısından oldukça zengin olan Erzurum iline sağlayacakları katkılar konusunda bir değerlendirme ortaya koyulmuştur. Çalışmada SWOT Analizi yapılarak, alanın mağara turizmi potansiyeli açısından, güçlü ve zayıf yönleri ile gelecekte oluşabilecek fırsat ve tehditlerin neler olabileceği belirlenmeye çalışılmıştır. _______________________________________________________ Cave Tourism as an Ecotourism Activity; the Sample of Erzurum Elmalı Cave Abstract Ecotourism, one type of alternative tourism, appeared first in 1980s as an activity using natural and cultural areas and turned out to be one of the fastest growing subsector of tourism. Cave tourism, one type of ecotourism, has been preferred in recent years by the visitors keen on adventure and nature sports. Turkey can be defined as cave heaven with over 40.000 caves it shelters. Present study is related to Elmalı Cave, in İspir District, Erzurum. The cave is one of the most important caves in Turkey with its unique and fascinating geological and geomorphological structure, stalactites and a 400 – m length. The cave shelters two galleries lying in parallel and connectedly to each other; eight halls, shallow lakes, various drop stones and many others. The aim of present study is to investigate alternative tourism potential of Erzurum province, and how to combine potential cave tourism in the region with other tourism types in the sample of Elmalı cave. In this scope, present tourism potentials of Elmalı cave were determined by evaluating the contributions of these potentials to Erzurum covering a rich natural and cultural source values and analyzing strengths and weaknesses and opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the area for cave tourism potentials.

This study aims to investigate alterations in the developmental parameters of Salvia splendens L., a commonly utilized seasonal flower associated with excessive water consumption in urban green spaces, through the implementation of deficit irrigation practices. Four distinct irrigation treatments, which entailed maintaining the evaporation pot’s water level at 100% (control), 75%, 50%, and 25% of the pot’s water-holding capacity, were established. This study scrutinized 18 growth parameters to assess the impact of varying water application levels. The findings of this research revealed that Salvia splendens L. plants exhibited more substantial improvements in 17 out of 18 assessed parameters when subjected to 75% water application (representing a 25% reduction in water supply) in comparison to 100% water application (with no reduction). Notably, the only parameter negatively affected by reduced water availability in Salvia splendens L. was the diameter of the flowers. Thus, it is recommended to reduce water application by 25% when cultivating Salvia splendens L. in urban areas. Such a measure is expected to yield substantial water conservation benefits in urban landscaping. Consequently, it is advisable to promote the frequent utilization of Salvia splendens L. plants in urban green spaces, given their robust development even under conditions of water scarcity.