- Recent developments emphasize the growing trend of Community based tourism, worldwide. The Karpasia Peninsula of Northern Cyprus is one of the most ecologically important regions of the Eastern Mediterranean that has an enourmous potential for impact on communities. This paper discusses two potential community based tourism destinations. The proposed Karpasia Peninsula National Park Area (KPNPA) is at the tip end of the Peninsula covering an area of 9,486 hectares. The peninsula contains turtle nesting areas and is rich in terms of biodiversity, including areas visited by the rare monk seal. Approximately 150 million birds are reported to migrate through the area in the autumn; and a similar number in the spring. The peninsula is also rich in endemic species; It houses more than 100 species of rare plants and 128 endemic floras of Cyprus. Forests cover about 45% of the KPNP Area. An estimated 450 feral Cypriot donkeys are found on the peninsula. Underwater seabeds of Posidonia oceanica sea grass are observed offshore. There are five archaeological settlements and plenty of ancient monuments in the KPNP Area. Currently, much of the peninsula is under the protection of the “Karpasia Region Control and Development Ordinance”. Buyuk Konuk (Komi Kebir) Eco Village, the gateway to Karpasia Peninsula, is the pilot project created by the Economic Development and Growth for Enterprises (EDGE) and funded by the Unites Satate of America Agency for International Development (USAID), also presenting valuable resources for community based tourism. The aim of this paper is to highlight the vital ecological and socio-cultural importance of the KPNP Area and of the Buyuk Konuk (Komi Kebir) Eco Village for the community based tourism development and to emphasize the emerging issues and recommendations.
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