International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks最新文献

For the last decade, there has been an abundance of scattered case studies on geoarchaeological heritage in the scientific literature. Yet, there is a lack of methodological guidelines to inventory and numerically assess a collection of “geoarchaeosites” for heritage conservation and/or tourism purposes. The aim of this paper is to propose an innovative and integrated methodology for the inventory and assessment of geoarchaeological heritage, with an example of application in the Middle Eure Valley (Paris Basin, France). In this work, we suggest the use of the “geoarchaeosite” concept as a contraction of geoarchaeological sites, i.e., sites of particular relevance in understanding past society-environment interactions at the Quaternary or historical time scale. In our approach, archaeological and geomorphological components of a site have the same level of importance, in contrast to the classical approaches on geomorphosites that consider the cultural, archaeological, and/or historical significance of a site as an “additional” value. In the study area, the results provide a selection of 19 geoarchaeosites with contrasted scientific values, ranging from sites of national (fossiliferous site of Saint-Prest, loess-paleosol sequence of Chaudon) and regional rank (Chartres Cathedral and its historical quarry at Berchères-les-Pierres, French Royal Canal Louis XIV-Aqueduct of Maintenon, Megaliths of Changé at Saint-Piat and Eure palaeochannels) to more confidential sites of local interest, with various degrees of vulnerability and potential use. A network analysis of “disconnected geoarchaeosites” according to spatial, chronological, and functional relationships contributes to improving the overall scientific value of the geoarchaeological heritage. Among the prospects that are emerging in the scope of promotional activities, comes the interest of building a digital geoarchaeoheritage platform with a collaborative/participatory aim in order to reinforce heritage ownership by local residents and stakeholders.

This study focuses on evaluating the geological heritage of the Northern Apuseni Mountains in Romania, assessing the scientific, educational and tourism value of various geological elements. Geological heritage elements, such as rocks, formations, fossils, structures, and landscapes, offer valuable insights into unique geological events or phenomena. Understanding their significance is crucial for conservation and management purposes. Our study aims to identify and assess the degradation risk of eleven selected geosites based on specific criteria related to their vulnerability to deterioration and potential human impact. The assessment revealed that three geosites, namely the type locality of dacite (Poieni), the paleontological reserve Snail Hill from Vidra, and the Upper Cretaceous rudist-bearing shallow-marine deposit from Crișului Valley, have a high degradation risk, necessitating the development of targeted geoconservation plans. For the Runcuri Karst Plateau, Tășad Geological Reserve, Bedeleu Massif, Turda Gorges, and Călugări Karst Spring, we obtained a moderate degradation risk. Possibility of deterioration of the main or secondary geological elements, deficiency of legal protection, and the easy access of a large number of tourists are the main factors to contribute to the increased degradation risk. Low degradation risk was found for the geological structures located in the Padiș Karst Plateau and Galbena Valley. Their location within the Apuseni Natural Park provides the framework for legal protection. The geological elements in the Sighiștel Valley also present a low risk of degradation due to their location in a little known and visited area. Our results provide a comprehensive evaluation of degradation risk for geosites in the Northern Apuseni Mountains, offering insights into the specific factors contributing to their vulnerability and highlighting the need for protective measures. The research outcomes contribute to the broader field of geological heritage conservation and management, providing guidance on the presentation of scientific information and promoting the understanding and appreciation of geosites. Effective promotion strategies can enhance awareness and encourage sustainable tourism while safeguarding these unique geological features.

There are about 180 villages in Mentougou District. The typical regional landscape characteristics and profound cultural, historical and geographical value of these ancient villages have rendered the district a unique tourism resource in the west of Beijing. With the ongoing social development and population migration, the cultural values carried by these villages are faced with the risk o f diminish ment. It is therefore of great significance to integrate and protect the traditional villages to promote the tourism development of this area. Based on 62 ancient villages, this paper uses the concept of linearity to define the spatial influence of each village culture from macro, meso and micro perspectives with the help of ArcGIS spatial analysis software to construct the corridor pattern of the ancient villages in Mentougou District. On this basis, the spatial levels, functional nature and characteristics of the corridor are finely delineated in conjunction with the actual situation. In this way, the fragmented ancient village resources are integrated from natural, social and transportation aspects to achieve spatial consistency, complete the existing roads, and form a comprehensive development pattern for the tourism of ancient villages in area of Mentougou District, especially the organisation of tourism routes, and the overall planning of heritage utilisation.

This study focused on the assessment of geo-tourism potentials in Amhara Regional State, the northeastern part of Ethiopia. Geotourism is a newly applicable area of tourism development that is growing rapidly all over the world. Geo-tourism is geomorphic and geologic formations and characteristics. The objective of the study was to produce an inventory assessment for geotourism locations and give some tour guide maps for the peoples of the world through this media, as well as to assess their potential for tourism growth. The methodological approach for the geotourism inventory and mapping was GIS techniques and detailed inventories of geo-tourism locations. The results of the study showed that more than 20 geo-tourism locations were identified and mapped. The parameters used to assess the potential of geotourism sites were related to tourism and the country's scientific, educational, scenic, recreational, protective, functional, and ecological aspects. The findings of the study are not only helpful for the tourism sectors, academic institutions, researchers and visitors, but also make a great contribution to the country's income generation in general.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted business services across all industries. Conflicting policies at the federal, state, and local levels further compounded business entities' delivery of services. One business often understudied in disasters is museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places. While these entities carry the hallmarks of business, including business models, operating frameworks, and strategies for profitability, they also serve their own missions to educate while preserving and conserving cultural and environmental resources. In this study, we examine the impact during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on Texas museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places with a focus on the evolving, and often conflicting, government policies. Texas serves as an important case study because it was one of the first states to resume normal business operations under state mandates. We identify through surveys and interviews that the ability of museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places to adjust to the pandemic were temporally dynamic and highly contingent on sustained revenue streams, COVID-19 restrictions, and outdoor versus indoor programmatic offerings. Specifically, conflicting guidance from different government entities resulted in study participants' concerns related to safety and their lack of choice in removing disease mitigation measures. We also found that earlier crises prepared many entities to survive during the first year of the pandemic and that these entities' return to operations reflect the stages of disaster and crisis recovery. Our findings provide useful information for museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places to develop disaster risk reduction strategies for future events.

Fossilized wood is a key geoheritage feature found in many protected areas. Knowledge about its formation is also key to the understanding of such areas. This study investigates the mineralization processes of the world's longest petrified wood (Koompassioxylon elegans), BT1, located in Tak, Thailand, an extraordinary and rare specimen with significance for scientific, educational, geotourism, recreational, geopark, and geoheritage purposes. Multiple techniques including petrography, scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) were employed. Petrographically, the wood structures exhibit different types of quartz crystals, with microcrystalline quartz and spherulitic chalcedony being prominent. The vessels contain chalcedony and crypto- to microcrystalline quartz, with vug-like precipitation occurring within them. Prismatic quartz crystals grow divergently around the vessels, while other cells such as tracheids, rays, and parenchyma (see ANNEX for definition of these terms) are permineralized by polycrystalline quartz, chalcedony, and opal, indicating degradation of these cells. The cells outside the vessels also contain the larger polycrystalline quartz grains cross-cutting the wood cell boundaries. Red to reddish-brown Fe-oxides coat some fissures and cracks. XRD analysis reveals dominant peaks of quartz, followed by analcite, feldspar, montmorillonite, and goethite. SEM-EDS analysis identifies major and trace elements in the wood, showing incomplete permineralization with remnants of carbon in the wood cells. Mineral replacement and permineralization occur in the cell walls, tracheid lumen, vessels, intercellular spaces, and void spaces. The weathering in BT1 is identified by the presence of iron stains, goethite inclusions, a spongy appearance, lenticular features, and fungal growth on the perforated texture.

Geocultural sites combine a high cultural and natural heritage value and are particularly suitable for the interpretation and promotion of cultural and natural heritage. Based on previous geoheritage inventories, this paper analyzes seven geocultural sites in Jebel Dahar (Southeast Tunisia) from the perspective of temporal interrelationships. Through a synthesis on the development of the natural landscape of Jebel Dahar and its occupation by human beings, the work focuses on the importance of the interweaving of temporal scales in the analysis and interpretation of geocultural sites. A specific methodology in four steps is proposed: (i) a synthesis on the components of the site in the form of a text; (ii) a summary table built according to a temporal scale composed of six periods (geological, geomorphological, prehistoric, historical, present and future); (iii) a graphical representation of the interweaving of these temporal scales; (iv) a cartographic representation of the results of the analysis. Steps (iii) and (iv) were applied only to the geocultural sites of Matmata-Beni Issa and Douiret. The paper also emphasizes the importance of the interweaving of temporal scales in the interpretation of geocultural sites. These scales could be part of the criteria for the inventory, selection, evaluation, interpretation and management of geocultural sites.

Empirical studies show that biodiversity conservation, ecotourism development, livelihoods of local people and ethnicity in protected areas significantly impact society's well-being. However, achieving the aforementioned goals is extremely difficult without strong support, commitment from host communities, and effective coordination among ecotourism stakeholders. This study sought to explore the perceptions of various stakeholders regarding the impacts and importance of ecotourism and their willingness to pay for ecotourism development and biodiversity conservation at Chilika Lake, Odisha. We conducted semi-structured interview of 250 respondents in different areas adjacent to Chilika Lake such as Balugaon, Barakul, Pathara and Khalikot. To grasp the above objectives, we used the contingent valuation method (CVM) and the Double Hurdle Model to identify the determinants of willingness to accept (WTA) and willingness to pay (WTP). Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyse the perception of ecotourism impacts. The study found that local people in the study region perceived both positive and negative impacts of ecotourism. There was sufficient evidence of conflicts of interest in resource use, limited community involvement in ecotourism planning and decision-making, and low economic benefits. However, the study also found that instead of a range of negative impacts, a variety of stakeholders expressed a willingness to develop ecotourism with the prospect of improving their various needs. The results of the empirical double hurdle model showed that the variables of education, total income, importance of the lake, level of awareness, and occupation significantly impacted the willingness to accept the offered payment. On the other hand, age, marital status, education, total income, importance of the lake, and level of awareness have a significant influence on the willingness of different stakeholders to pay the offered amount. A detailed understanding of ecotourism, consideration of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, and the development of ecotourism products and services enables various stakeholders to adjust their behaviour towards sustainability, and can contribute to an effective information and planning process which may lead to greater promotion of ecotourism.

Forest therapy has been proven to have a quantifiable positive impact on human physiological and psychological health. Given that graduating students at university are easy to stress due to changes in life, pressure from their studies, and independence in finance. The main purpose of this research was to explore the effects of guided forest therapy on graduating college students through a field experiment in Pacific Spirit Regional Park which held significant geographical value. This paper investigated the pressure of graduating college students and their needs for forest therapy, and explored the psychological and physiological changes after guided forest therapy. This study also analyzed gender-related psychological and physiological differences. Thirty-six healthy graduating college students were invited to participate in a 2-hour forest therapy program. Likert scales were used to assess students' pressure and the demand for forest therapy. Most of the students were facing the pressure of graduation and were willing to participate in forest therapy. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart rate variability (HRV) were used as physiological measurement indices. Our physiological results indicated that blood pressure significantly decreased, the high-frequency component of HRV (HF) was significantly larger, and the low-to-high-frequency component ratio (LF/HF) was smaller after the forest therapy program, and some beneficial changes in females were more significant than that in males. The participants' mean HR decreased throughout the forest therapy, but there were no significant differences. Mental status was assessed before and after forest therapy using the Profile of Mood States (POMS), employment stress scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for participants. Overall, the guided forest therapy program effectively reduced participants' employment stress and state anxiety. Our research showed that guided forest therapy had positive physiological and psychological benefits for graduating college students. In addition, females obtained more positive physiological benefits than males, and males obtained more positive psychological benefits than females throughout forest therapy.

While crowdsourcing applications that can support decision-making are increasing in volume, citizen science practice in Greece is in its early stages. The article presents the design of a BioBlitz that took place in the Ioannina Castle and aims to complement the natural and cultural heritage assessment of the specific site through the participation of 116 citizens and university students. The iNaturalist mobile application and online social network were used as basic tools for recording biodiversity and assisting in the identification process. Before the activity, participants received basic training through an open course in Science Education offered by the School of Early Childhood Education at the University of Ioannina. Additionally, participants completed pre-questionnaire of the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS). The results revealed that more than 26% of almost 1,000 observations received a Research Grade, while 207 species were recorded, engaging 191 identifiers. The analysis of both the pre-questionnaires and the post-questionnaires that were collected a week after the BioBlitz, showing a statistically significant positive shift in the levels of CNS. However, low intensity and small scale of the activity should be considered, and multiple interventions or long-time programs could supply more robust findings.