Toward GIS-Based Approach for Identification of Ecological Sensitivity Areas: Multi-Criteria Evaluation Technique for Promotion of Tourism in Soon Valley, Pakistan

Ecologically sensitive areas are sensitive regions which provide natural habitat to native and migratory wildlife. The area under study is Soon Valley which is of significant value since it is rich in natural resources and an important tourist attraction. It has the potential to benefit the communities' environment, along with providing aesthetic, recreational and economical benefits. Special attention is required for the preservation of these areas to develop the tourism industry in this region. This paper aims to highlight the spatial locations of Soon Valley according to the ecological sensitivity. To achieve this purpose, ecological knowledge is integrated with geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. An ecological assessment study was conducted based on the ecological indicators and their synthesis to identify ecologically significant and preference areas within the area under study. For this purpose, eight ecological indicators were defined and the spatial extent for each indicator was mapped in GIS. For analysis purpose, weightage factor and buffer area for each class were defined in accordance with the significance of the feature. The final analysis revealed four classes including very high (6%), high (20%), moderate (39%) and low (34%) ecological sensitive areas.