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SUSTAINABLE AND RATIONAL UTILIZATION OF UNUSED RAILWAY LINES
Abstract
Abandoned railway lines can be used as hiking trails for tourism development and as coherent eco-logical routes for many species of flora and fauna, such as plants, insects, and birds. The study's objective was to design a strategic plan for using unused railway lines that will increase or maintain the biodiversity in the Prefecture of Peloponnese in southern Greece. The SWOT-AHP-TOWS method analysis was used. The criteria of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) method were recorded based on the literature review. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method, in which the criteria were compared pairwise and using the TOWS (Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Strengths) method which combines factors into groups and proposes strategies to the policymakers. The study found that the Strengths group occupied the largest percentage (41.9%), and the Opportunities group had the smallest percentage (14.3%). The results also showed that in the comparisons of the Strengths group, the largest percentage (31.5%) held the (Vegetation along unused railway lines can act as a refuge for birds) criterion. In the comparisons of the Weaknesses group, it was observed that the (Causing animal deaths by train collision) criterion gathered a large percentage of 44.4%. In the comparisons of the Opportunities group, the largest percentage (35.2%) held the (Railway embankments can provide important habitats for pollinators and birds) criterion and from the comparisons of the Threats group (The construction of railways contributes to the loss of habitats of wild fauna and flora) criterion was the biggest threat with a percentage that exceeds 32.7%. The most important strategy of the TOWS method was (Achieving rail network utilization for recreational use and reducing habitat loss).
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