International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks最新文献

Many glacial landscapes on all continents are inscribed on the World Heritage List. Due to climate change, most of the glaciers are retreating rapidly, thus questioning their Outstanding Universal Value. This paper clarifies what constitutes the heritage values of glacial landscapes and outlines how the heritage values could evolve in a future with less (or without) ice. For two sites in the UNESCO Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch property (the Great Aletsch Glacier and the Upper Lauterbrunnen Valley), we describe the evolution of the glacial landscape using a Past-Present-Future framework. We then evaluate the present and post-glacial heritage values according to criteria used in the literature on geomorphosites. The results outline two main issues: (1) As glaciers retreat, the geoscientific value will depend more and more on the inherited glacial landforms, such as moraine ridges, which allow the understanding of the Earth and climate history, and less and less on the glacier itself and its dynamics. Their protection is therefore an important issue. (2) The aesthetic value of glacial landscapes could decrease because of the disappearance of the glacier (landscape greying). One possible adaptation could be a shift from glacier tourism, which is mainly oriented towards the contemplation of an aesthetic landscape, to geotourism, where the understanding of landscape evolution is proposed to the public.

Slow tourism is a way of doing tourism which has been revalorised because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The protection and promotion of the territories from a slow tourism perspective allow travellers to explore the relationships between people, places and practices from a more sustainable and regenerative way. This research aims to explore the slow tourism motivations in relation to a geotourism destination. Drawing from an autoethnography design informed by a case study, the paper analyses the Basque Coast Geopark, in Northern Spain, as an illustrative example of the drivers of slow tourism experiences. Results illustrate, with textual descriptions and visual materials, how and why the motivations of discovery, engagement, escape, novelty-seeking, relaxation and self-reflection are manifested. This research demonstrates that the slow tourism factors are accentuated in a geotourism destination, which is also useful to analyse the relationships between the motivations. Theoretical and practical implications for tourism management and marketing are described.

This study demonstrated the potential utility of crowdsource photographs to investigate users' (residents and visitors) preferences for landscape features in the proposed Appalachian Geopark Project in southern West Virginia, United States, assuming that a photographic choice implies a preference. The study used photographs from Flickr crowdsource. Our method combined existing technologies of crowdsourcing, geographic information system (GIS), machine learning (ML) and added a new metrics generation capability to provide a novel approach to classifying users' preferences. First, spatial distribution of the photographs was assessed. Second, the amount of area in pixels covered by each feature was calculated to quantify the different landscape features contained in the photographs. The results revealed that the photographs were congregated in specific locations of the study region showing clustered patterns of distribution. The content analysis revealed that the forest was the predominant landscape feature, followed by rock, antrhopogenic (anthro), sky, water, grass and road that were captured in the photographs. This approach is an indirect approach that help understand what landscape features are captured in the photographs by the users. The ability to provide statistics for pixel-by-pixel classification in the ML output represents a new functionality that can be useful in other studies such as in a single landscape type (e.g., urban, agriculture, etc.) and temporal data (e.g., date taken).

In this paper, we assess geotourism potential of sandstone rock formations in the Outer Eastern Carpathians on the territory of Ukraine. We focus on the seven sites with sandstone rock outcrops, which are popular among hikers due to their aesthetic attractiveness and historic significance. Applying the two well-acknowledged methods of geotourism potential assessment, namely the Geosite Assessment Model (GAM) and the Brilha method, we evaluate significance of the selected rock formations as geological and geomorphological sites, which can be valuable for scientific and educational use as well. In the process of the analysis, we compare the assessment methods in terms of how complementary or contradictory results they may render if they are applied simultaneously to the same cases. We find that sandstone rock outcrops in the Ukrainian part of the Outer Eastern Carpathians are underexplored as geotourism attractions and more scientific attention is required to those and similar sites in the area to fully appreciate their potential.

About 800 million people, or about 12% of the world's population, go abroad annually, making tourism one of the greatest global enterprises. The Himalayan region's nature and adventure-based tourism has a significant economic influence on West Bengal, India. The Singalila Range is well-known among tourists and trekkers from all over the world for its distinctive features and dynamic environment. The modified AHP-SERVQUAL model covering service provision attributes was studied in the subject of a case study in the Sandakphu Trail, Darjeeling, India, to determine critical dimensions. The most significant subdimension is deemed to be promptness of services, while the responsiveness dimension needs the most improvement in terms of providing excellent service. The discrepancy between tourists' perceptions and satisfaction with the tourism and services offered in the Sandakphu Trail, which is nestled in the Himalayan region of India, is critically examined in this topic based on Overall Tourism Satisfaction Index (OTSI). In order to evaluate the gaps in terms of tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy which eventually leads us to the assessment of the tourism and hospitality services in the Sandakphu Trail of the Himalayan region of India, this study has combined the methodologies of the AHP-SERVQUAL model. The OTSI data for the halting points, i.e., Mane Bhanjang (33.38), Meghma (42.53), Tumbling (67.23), Gairibus (42.14), Kalpokhri (44.70), and Sandakphu (65.79), demonstrate inconsistencies in the gap in the tourism services in these locations. As part of an operational research on management, this approach used in the study provides us with a clear understanding of the quality of tourism services in a straightforward manner without the need for quantitative data, which will be useful in proper tourism and hospitality service planning and management.

Water resources are becoming increasingly scarce in many parts of the world. The protection and the sustainable use of water resources is highly relevant to mitigate climate impacts. This article aims to investigate the activities of UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps) in regard to ground and surface water resources. Using a mixed-methods approach, a questionnaire was administered and an international online workshop was held. The results show that there are various common fields of activities and common threats in regard to water resources. The identified topics are structured and discussed within a SWOT analysis. The article provides a starting point for UGGps to jointly promote water as a significant resource and to define common fields of activities that can be supported by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network (UGGpN). The article recommends the establishment of a new working group within the UGGpN. This will provide a platform to exchange best-practice experiences and develop guidelines on how to effectively integrate the protection and sustainable use of water resources into the management of UGGps.

UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps) are territories that promote sustainable development through a territorial management plan focusing on education, conservation, and local development. In their guidelines, they establish, among others, the relevance of the territorial bottom-up approach. This implies the active involvement and participation of the local communities on the projects and strategies focusing on sustainable territorial development and management. In this sense, the participatory processes should be one of the main strategies for the progress, analysis and diagnosis on the development and management of the UGGps. On this scope, the use of geographic analysis tools, like interpretative maps of the territory and the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) through a collaborative approach, could be an asset for the spatial planning required in the UGGps, reinforced by the local knowledge. One of the main applications that can be implemented in UGGps for the improvement, adaptation, and actualization of the spatial planning and management of the territories is the application of collaborative mapping strategies. This work is an example of a methodological proposal for the spatial diagnosis of the sustainable development in four UGGps of the Latin America and Caribbean Geoparks Network (GeoLAC) through a collaborative mapping process. This should be understood as a map's creation practice by local communities' perception. In addition, it also allows the understanding of the dynamics, evolution, and transformation of the UGGps through community knowledge and citizen science, supporting the improvement of the management plans of each territory. The objective of this methodology is to identify and discuss the spatial and territorial distribution of the “geopark” concept and how different activities related to geoconservation, geoeducation and geotourism, as main axes of the principles of the UGGp, are acting for and contributing to the sustainable development in four UGGps of the GeoLAC. Results allow to define new strategies to involve, in a more homogeneous spatial distribution, the impacts and benefits of the UGGps. The final maps become important tools not only for researchers or managers but also for local communities. This methodology has the potential to become a tool for its application in any UGGp willing to analyze the spatial distribution of the territorial strategies, the activities impact, and the benefits for the sustainable development of its territory. Furthermore, it can be an efficient evaluation tool when applied periodically in the territory, allowing to compare the development and evolution of the spatial impacts and territorial dynamics of the strategies defined by the management structure, calibrated by the vision and perception of the local communities.

Vegetation phenology (VP) patterns of semi-arid savannah woodlands ecosystems are essential for sustainable management and conservation since they are indicators of the health status of protected national parks. However, monitoring VP changes are intermittently carried out in semi-arid savannah woodlands ecosystems despite the links to ecosystem function, status, health and service. The paper analyses VP metric patterns, during the start of the season (SOS), maximum vegetation (PEAK), end of the season (EOS) and length of the growing season (LGS) trends from 1981 to 2015. This study was carried out in Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in Southeastern Zimbabwe. Shrublands, broadleaved deciduous forested woodlands and mixed cover samples were used to depict existing VP patterns. Derivation of VP using remotely sensed Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data was done using the TIMESAT 3.3 programme. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the land cover differences while Mann-Kendall (M-K) and Sen's slope tests were used to analyse time-series trends. Due to differences among the different land cover types in GNP, there are spatial variations in phenology, with the SOS, PEAK and EOS indicating later dates significantly. VP spatial and temporal patterns vary markedly as a result of differences in land cover. Further research in patterns of VP using fine and coarse satellite imagery in GNP is required. VP studies need to be linked to distribution and abundance of large mammalian herbivore species.

Prior to COVID-19 heavy tourist pressure was causing environmental degradation and wildlife disturbance in Sri Lankan protected areas. The pandemic abruptly stopped visitation causing devastating impacts on the entire nature-based tourism sector. At the same time, the pandemic opened a window of opportunity to rethink the way the nature-based tourism is practiced in Sri Lanka's protected areas and bring it to the “sustainable track”. In this paper, we present a “position statement” to aid planning for sustainable and resilient nature-based tourism in post-pandemic Sri Lanka by validating and employing previous work on sustainable nature-based tourism planning, and information gathered through field observations and semi-structured interviews of nature-based tourism stakeholders in Sri Lanka. Future planning will require reflection and research with the aim of developing a more responsible and ethical approach to tourism activity and the viewing of wildlife. As the present economic and energy crisis is likely to prolong social and environmental difficulties, planning for a resilient nature-based tourism industry and appropriate community engagement is a priority.