An Investigation of the Capacities and Attractions of Shirz Valley Geotourism as a Future Geopark in Lorestan Province
Subject Areas :
Keywords: Lorestan, Geotourism, Kuhdasht, Geoparks, Shirz valley,
Abstract :
Lorestan province has a lot of capabilities for geotourism which have caused this province to be selected as the capital of geotourism in Iran. The existence of ancient caves as the first human habitats, waterfalls, and lakes as well as places like Kuhdasht, Poledokhtar and Oshtorankooh have made the place an appropriate area in the province to create a geopark. Shirez valley in the west of Kuhdasht is valley in Lorestan province which includes unique geoturism instances like Dig Jin, Hoodoo, and Taq Tabiie. The existence of these attractions and other historical and cultural capabilities of the area have made the Shirez valley as one of the best places to be considered as a geopark by the UNESCO. An applied and analytical study was used the instruments of which were GPS, SWOT model, and a questionnaire which were used to achieve the desired goals. The results showed that despite the great geotourism potentials and unique geomorphic forms of the Shirz valley, it cannot be considered as a suitable site for the constructing a geopark since it is not wide enough and so it is impossible to construct the necessary infrastructure both at its entrance and in its inner parts. However, with regard to international standards for the construction of geoparks, the existence of Homian ancient cave, the Rock of Mir Malas, untouched nature and specific geomorphic forms within the surrounding valley, this area can be a good place to be constructed as a geopark.
_||_