International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks最新文献

The socio-economical importance of geological heritage (geoheritage) makes it a geological resource. New minerals are reported regularly, and their type specimens and localities are ex-situ and in-situ constituents of geoheritage, respectively. The present study focuses on the contemporary dynamics of these specific resources. For this purpose, the information about new minerals reported during the past five years is analyzed. The attention is paid to the distribution of the new mineral specimens (holotypes and cotypes) and their type localities by country; the transboundary replacement of new minerals is also considered. It is established that the new minerals-related geoheritage resources are accumulated in dozens of countries. The ex-situ geoheritage (specimens in museum collections) is represented twice narrower than the in-situ geoheritage (localities as geosites). About a half of new minerals are replaced to the other countries and often to the other parts of the world. The registered patterns are explained by the peculiarities of the contemporary mineralogical research. The outcomes of the present analysis permit to make recommendations for the development of the optimal geoheritage policy.

The UNESCO Global Geoparks are grounded in three core principles: education, geoconservation, and geotourism. Since 2015, the Napo Sumaco Aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark (NSAUGG) in the Ecuadorian Amazon has concentrated its efforts on enhancing local capabilities through Earth Sciences education, underscoring the safeguarding of natural and cultural heritage and environmental stewardship. A comprehensive educational dissemination model was implemented, incorporating both indoor and outdoor activities, geoscience education training, geodiversity knowledge enhancement, and the creation of content and workshops that integrate classroom and field-based learning and evaluation. The concepts of geodiversity and geoparks were disseminated to adults and youth, primarily members of the native peoples' communities, particularly those employed at the Community Tourism Centers and the geopark guides designated as “Yuyaiwa Pushak Runakuna.” A total of 60 individuals from the NSAUGG populations between Tena and Archidona cantons participated in the educational activities, which involved 19 geoeducators. These initiatives facilitated an appreciation of the geopark's diverse heritages, including its geological, biological, and cultural assets. The geoeducation efforts fostered geotourism, with the Yuyaiwa Pushak Runakuna acquiring greater value through their assimilation of geological and speleological knowledge. This is evident in their use of geological vocabulary and understanding of geological processes and materials in guiding activities for both national and foreign tourists. The most significant achievement is the establishment of “Geoeducation for Sustainability” actions, which promotes collective life through knowledge dialogues based on Minka (voluntary community work) and Turkana (reciprocity and barter). These actions encouraged a deeper connection to the geopark's heritage and strengthened community cohesion.

Globally, deserts are considered as fragile and unique biomes. They have the capacity to provide various ecosystem services, and possess great tourism potential and scientific value, but are also susceptible to modifications or alterations in their geomorphology. Despite the strategic importance of these ecosystems at a global level, there is limited specialized research directed towards the study of deserts in Ecuador. The purpose of this research is to determine the susceptibility to degradation and carrying capacity of environmental units to support tourist and recreational activities, thereby offering the community a sustainable resource over time. The delimitation of environmental units was carried out based on the identification of land use and land cover through the supervised classification method. Multicriteria analysis was used to obtain the areas susceptible to degradation, where the environmental units were evaluated through expert evaluation. Once the results of the previous methodologies were obtained, areas with environmental and tourist potential were identified using the hosting capacity matrix, which is based on anthropic activities developed in the area. Subsequently, a proposal for conservation strategies and activities at the national and local levels was formulated. Five categories of land use and land cover were identified, resulting in 11 environmental units represented in spatial data. It was determined that approximately 31% of the territory is more susceptible to degradation, while the remaining 69% is less susceptible. Based on the susceptibility of these areas, 7 activities and 2 tourist routes were designated to help reduce anthropogenic pressure. Additionally, the community was provided with 5 proposals for conservation strategies at the national level, 4 at the local level, and 4 activities to be developed based on the findings identified during the investigation. This highlights the significant potential that the Palmira Desert has to become a conservation area.

Scientific studies, their methods and results are often difficult to understand for non-specialists due to their esoteric nature. Such lack of understanding means that such work is removed from our normal life experience, and thus, the applicability, interest and use of such work can be minimal. The communication of geoscience finds a natural conduit through geoheritage. A good example of an inaccessible technique far removed from everyday experience is anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), an extremely useful geoscience technique with many applications, including finding strain and flow directions in rocks. We explored here how to make “AMS” understandable, using three different volcanic sites where the flow of molten rock is an important aspect, each situated in different types of geoheritage visitation context (wild trekkers, beach visitors, and walkers). The method we developed and tested follows the production of simple and adapted explanations, and is coupled with geoheritage inventorying and communication. We utilized the tangible geological features of outcrops, as well as intangible elements such as rock magnetic data, and conducted a geoheritage inventory using the modified geosite assessment model (M-GAM) method to create narratives for popular comprehension. The M-GAM analysis has identified the geosites of the San Bartolo lava flow of the Stromboli volcano for the communication of the AMS. Later, a simple and comprehensible definition of AMS and thus of the flow processes was created using a step-by-step process. This method could be useful for scientific studies to allow them to reach out to a wider public, using their input in the simple explanation stage to con-construct a narrative. This would provide a way for science to be more widely appreciated, useful and applicable.

Tourism is pivotal for rural economic development; however, despite hosting a substantial number of tourists, many developing countries with rural landscapes face persistent poverty among local communities. This study aims to delve into the impact of tourism (geoheritage and national parks) on local livelihoods, examining drivers for livelihood portfolio and community decisions to engage in tourism activities. The Multivariate Probit, and instrumental variable models (Instrumental Variable Probit, and Two Stage Least Squares) were employed on data from 582 respondents collected through cross-sectional questionnaires. Results highlight the significant influence of socioeconomic factors—sex, age, household size, credit access, market access, social membership, and education—on livelihood portfolio. Results show that specific tourism activities, such as accommodation services, handcrafts, catering and hospitality, and tour guiding, exert varying effects on household food security, income, and access to essential social services. Challenges hindering participation include education levels, information and awareness, service quality, cultural barriers, financial costs, government policies, competition, resource monopolisation, corruption, and infrastructure deficiencies. Recommendations include investments in skill development, infrastructure enhancement, cultural preservation, financial inclusion, regulatory frameworks, and community awareness programs. These strategies aim to facilitate household participation in tourism activities, promoting geotourism and enhancing the well-being of Mount Kilimanjaro National Park communities. Policymakers are urged to implement these measures to uplift local livelihoods and foster sustainable tourism in the region.

This study focused on visitors undertaking recreational activities at two important wetland conservation reserves with two main aims: to understand if visitors recognize the significant role of wetlands as vital bird habitat, and to understand the importance of birds as part of the visitor experience. We surveyed 511 visitors at two internationally significant urban wetlands in Perth, Western Australia. Results indicated that respondents valued wetland areas for exercising, aesthetic values, utility of infrastructure and general amenity, as well as the presence of birds. Some respondents perceived that the wetlands were important for birds and the presence of birds was generally rated highly. Results further indicated that while birds were generally not the focus of visitor experience, birds were an important component of that experience. We conclude that most visitors will generally support management actions aimed at conserving the wetlands and birdlife, and management actions do not need to consider a range of differing views across different recreational activities. Thus, understanding the extent that different recreational users of urban wetlands value birds and bird habitat provides vital insights into management approaches for conservation.

On May 26, 2023, the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark obtained the UNESCO Global Geopark status, and it was awarded the UNESCO Triple Crown recognition, making it the third geopark globally to receive this honour. Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark is located in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and it is the nation's second geopark site. Our study aims to investigate the mediating effect of support for geopark development on the relationship between economic, socio-cultural benefits, and perceived costs of geopark development on community well-being. A total of 301 participants, including those from the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark's three areas of Kota Marudu, Ranau and Kota Belud, participated in the study. The findings indicate that community well-being is positively impacted by economic, sociocultural, and support for geopark development. Moreover, the support for geopark development mediates the relationship between economic and socio-cultural benefits towards community well-being. However, the study reveals that perceived costs of geopark development does not have significant effect on both relationships. Our study suggests that the local community recognizes the benefits of Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark in the form of income generation and opportunities for employment. However, because the geopark is still in an early stage of development, it is possible that the local community has not yet become aware of its negative aspects. The study proposes thorough and comprehensive guidelines and policies to be put in place to ensure the sustainability of the geopark regions as well as to continuously improve community well-being.

This article is focused on the valorization of the cultural heritage represented by sulphur mines in Sicily, Italy. In particular, it represents a first approach finalized to create geo-touristic routes and improve the knowledge of the cultural and industrial Sicilian sulphur heritage. For this purpose, a geographic information system (GIS) was used to create a specific database of the study area. At the same time, a careful territorial analysis was carried out to design a possible sulphur cultural tourist itinerary, following the regional Sicilian laws of the 1990s. In order to achieve the final goal, different actions were preformed, including collection of bibliographic data and reports, sites surveys to define the actual state of the sites, and collaboration with public and private bodies such as universities, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), local governments and associations. The results achieved could represent a good grow opportunity for an economic and touristic growth. In particular, the creation of the Sulphur Cultural Itinerary represented a good way to increase the Sicilian tourist attraction. The itinerary was focused on the data available on the Touring Club's guidebook, but there were differences and improvements. The main differences concerned both the starting point, for its notable landscape, naturalistic and scientific values, and the itinerary roads, some of which were no longer accessible. The outcome reached was a starting point for all stakeholders of geoheritage, such as municipalities, tourism agencies and academics.

Landslides are widely understood to cause damage to the geological features and the surrounding environment. Our study focuses on the northern region of the Karangsambung-Karangbolong Geopark (KKNG), characterized by diverse lithology and multi-phase tectonics. This study aims to explore (i) landslide susceptibility assessment, (ii) geomorphological characteristics and distribution of landslide susceptibility, and (iii) identification of landslide impacts on geosites. We mapped morphogenesis, morphology, materials, and processes to understand the geomorphological context, identifying three primary landforms: structural, pediments, and fluvial. For landslide susceptibility mapping, we used the XGBoost algorithm with cross-validation and utilized the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for model validation. The XGBoost model revealed a high susceptibility classification for 10 geosite points. Landslides have negative impacts, such as Olistoliths of coral limestones, Exotic-blocks of chert, and calcareous red claystone that change landforms and damage outcrops. Nevertheless, some landslides have positive impacts on the geosite, such as Exotic-blocks of phyllites, and Exotic-blocks of pillow lava and radiolarian chert, because landslides can reveal fresher outcrops and rock structures, and the outcrop area becomes larger. Landslide mapping successfully identified geosites that are highly vulnerable and have adverse impacts, especially those with certain lithological characteristics. This research on viewing disaster as a harmful process has evolved into a more holistic view of the disaster. This view includes various positive aspects that involve understanding the complex interactions between geology and geomorphology towards the geosite. By understanding the relationship between geomorphologic features (morphology, material, process, morpho-arrangement) and landslide occurrence, effective management strategies can be implemented to develop geological heritage further.