One of Turkey?s most important natural sites, the Küre Mountains is declared a National Park in 2000. It is the first natural protection area in Turkey, whose boundaries determined by the input and participation of stakeholders.
Landscape is exceptionally rich in relief and biodiversity. Few parts of Turkey are similar to Küre Mountains. This is due to a specific geology, with its huge karstic formation and to climate, offering a unique forest and meadows coverage. Probably due to traditional forestry, few visible tracks of terrace agriculture came to modify the original shape of slopes. Villages are usually settled in valley, with exceptions for some villages situated at the limit of high cliffs and dense forest defending an inland plateau with difficult access. Biodiversity was partly preserved by these natural defenses.
Incessant work of waters cut deep and impressive canyons through the range, and generates multiple waterfalls, caves, passes, and sinkholes.
The ?Küre Daglari National Park Development Plan? prepared in 1999 by Ministry of Forestry (funded by FAO and UNDP) gives a general description of global environment of the territory, with aspects in sociology and cultural heritage. The Plan lacks of concrete planning measures and activities.

The need of the Small Grant project arose from decreased forestry activities of the villagers and for this reason their livelihood sources after the declaration of the national park, and the probable pressure by tourism in the near future on Küre Mountains.
Ecotourism, with its potential for poverty alleviation and nature protection, is very suitable for the Zümrüt village, which possesses natural and folkloric beauties.

The overall goal of the project is to protect the Küre Mountains National Park by promoting the participation of inhabitants to the management of the park during the process of creating alternative income sources depending on the natural values of the mountain.
The Project of KED aimed;
? protection of natural areas through creating alternative sustainable income sources by developing ecotourism in the Zümrüt Village.
? empowering the women of the village and making them economically more productive by facilitating the sale of the village production in and around the National Park.
? Building the capacity of KED to replicate the project in other villages around the national park.

MAIN ACTIVITIES
- An ecotourism assessment was undertaken in the first period of the project. Potential leisure activities around Zümrüt was found as: Short leisure walks for day visitors, long trails for long distance hikers, horse riding, mountain biking, caving (speleology), canyoning, via ferrata, rock climbing, nature observation, scientific investigations, bird and wildlife watching.
- According to the ecotourism assessment a basic ecotourism plan is prepared. Special considerations included in the ecotourism plan are promotion of tourism opportunities for regions facing economic difficulties, development of small and medium tourism enterprises, generation of local jobs and protection of local cultures.
- Trails are defined for horse riding and biking and viewpoints of charming natural formations.
- The abandoned school building is renovated as eco-center and a traditional village house is renovated as eco-lodge.
- Necessary mountain bikes are provided by the sponsorship of Garanti Bank and the horses by the support of SGP.
- Trial tours have been organized and professional tour organizers are contacted and invited.
- Training of local guides to be ?eco-guides? is undertaken.
- Trainings on basic welcoming and accommodation services are organized.
- Trainings for women on food processing and packaging are organized
- Launching of the eco-center and the eco-lodge is done in May 2006

Project is executed by the Küre Mountains Ecotourism Association (KED).
Project Partners and supporters are Village Administration of Zümrüt, Union of Cooperatives of Kastamonu, Village Development Cooperative of Zümrüt, Sub-Provincial Government Authority of Azdavay, Local Authority of Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Kastamonu, WWF-Turkey, Union of Village Development, Garanti Bank