An Eco-environmental fragility model utilizing FAHP and GIS (case study: Büyük Menderes Basin)

The Büyük Menderes Basin's (BMB) eco-environmental fragility wasinvestigated using spatial data and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP)to determine the relative significance of factors and sub-criteria. Environmentalfragility is the degree to which an eco-system can tolerate changes brought aboutby artificial or natural sources. The BMB's spatial fragility and sensitivityassessment will reveal sensitive and fragile areas, allowing humane actions thatwould otherwise harm the environment in these areas to be halted. Following areview of prior research, eight factors, including roads, residential areas,elevation, slope, streams, precipitation, temperature, and vegetation, wereidentified as key factors in evaluating the spatial fragility of eco-environmentalfragility. A comparison matrix was constructed based on FAHP principles, andseven experts' interviews were used to determine their relative importance. Thespatial layers for these criteria were created in GIS and their relative weights wereapplied, along with the Büyük Menderes Basin Eco-environmental fragility map.The findings indicate that there is no spatial concentration of the fragility level ofBMB regions. Spatial majority, however, has a very low fragility level.