Proceedings of the Geologists Association最新文献

In the past decade progress has been made recognising the contribution that geodiversity makes to biodiversity and society. Scotland's Geodiversity Charter, launched in 2012 and revised in 2017, has attracted the support of almost 100 organisations and encourages signatories to work together to recognise the value of geodiversity and ensure it is managed appropriately and safeguarded. The case study presented here highlights that while there is a real desire to protect sites that are scientifically valuable, significant challenges exist to balance this with societal demand for resources and development. There are also challenges for geoscientists and geoconservation groups to communicate effectively with planning authorities and local communities. The case study also sheds light on the problems associated with the systems of designating geosites of national and regional importance, the maintenance of these systems, and how the value of these sites is conveyed beyond the scientific community. Scotland's Geodiversity Charter offers a framework that stakeholders can use to work in partnership to increase awareness of the issues and help achieve the sustainable management of geosites. Case studies such as Callander provide lessons and solutions to overcome the challenges that arise and highlight the need for the participation of both national and local stakeholders.

Palaeoecological records can provide important information on past cultural and economic activities and landscape change. Wetland sites in particular provide remarkable depository opportunities for such remains. Yet these deposit and site types are often not fully appreciated and are undervalued in terms of their place in our culture and history. This article explores reasons for this and suggests ways in which better collaboration between disciplines and sectors can be achieved. We also highlight the work that Historic England has been carrying out and funding, signposting the organisation's publications and guidance. In doing so, we demonstrate that Historic England is an advocate of wetlands and their heritage values, and is concerned with their protection, rather than only historic buildings, scheduled monuments and other designated sites, as it is commonly perceived. Through this we hope to establish partnerships and develop networks across sectors with those who are interested in wetlands, leading to better integrated working practices.

The complex Geological Conservation Review (GCR) site at Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was notified in 1986 as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is an internationally important geosite and Britain's only Lower Palaeolithic type locality, giving its name to the Clactonian stone-tool industry. Fossil- and artefact-bearing channel-fill deposits laid down by the River Thames ~ 420,000 years ago, during the Hoxnian Interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 11c), have been observed in foreshore and cliff exposures, and beneath developed and open ground in an inland arcuate footprint. These sediments provide a record of the lower reaches and estuary of the Thames during this lengthy and warm interglacial, an important partial analogue for the Holocene. Palaeoclimatic and palaeoecological evidence has been obtained from assemblages of fossil molluscs, ostracods and vertebrates, together with pollen and plant macrofossils; Clacton is also the type locality for several of the represented animal taxa, including the biostratigraphically significant ostracod Scottia browniana and a large subspecies of fallow deer, Dama dama clactoniana. This paper provides an overview of the continuing importance of the Clacton GCR site and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), summarizing recently acquired data that have enhanced understanding of the Hoxnian and the palaeoenvironments that prevailed at the time of deposition. The wider geosite has benefitted from sustained Palaeolithic archaeological interest, with the local planning authority mandating investigation of the sediments as a condition for development projects. SSSI status ensures that the significant collections of palaeontological and archaeological material amassed from the Clacton deposits over almost two centuries can be related to their context, and studies of both these archived collections and new material from the protected in situ sediments continue to provide new data and contribute to the development of cutting-edge techniques.

Climate change is allowing fire to expand into previously unburnt ecosystems and regions. While management policies such as fire suppression have significantly altered their frequency and intensity. To prevent future biodiversity/ecosystem services loss, and the large financial burden of wildfires, management plans will be required to adapt to future climate and land use changes. Long-term ecological data offer a unique perspective to assess fire variability under different climate and land-use conditions. In this study, we focus on Killarney National Park, Ireland. An area which today is under threat from an increase in fire activity. Comparing palaeoecological and archaeological records, we reconstruct the past fire dynamic and its impact on the landscape, and evaluate the role of climate vs humans in influencing the natural fire regime over the millennial time-scale. Our results indicate that fire has been present in the landscape since the beginning of the Holocene, with fire in the early Holocene being largely controlled by climate and microsite conditions, and in the late Holocene being increasingly influenced by human activity. The knowledge of past fire regimes can help inform future management in order to protect the semi-natural native woodland. The park's present landscape mosaic, could be preserved by limiting forest encroachment through moderate grazing and burning, while also protecting any fragmented forest from excessive grazing and large/intense fires, via traditional fire management strategies such as fuel load management. However, a fire management strategy should only be implemented following careful consideration of all ecosystem factors and controls.

This paper introduces the Special Issue of the Proceedings of the Geologists' Association on ‘Valuing the Quaternary – Nature Conservation and Geoheritage’, arising from the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) Congress in Dublin, in July 2019. It presents an overview of the values of Quaternary geoheritage, which merit recognition as an integral part of nature conservation, to protect priority sites and features for scientific research and education, and to deliver wider ecological, cultural and aesthetic benefits. The paper highlights the benefits of incorporating knowledge and understanding of Quaternary geoheritage for nature conservation and society. Palaeoenvironmental, palaeoecological and palaeobiological archives are a key source of ecological and environmental data that allow learning from the past to help address contemporary conservation challenges such as biodiversity loss, anthropogenic pressures and climate change. Quaternary science plays a vital part in supporting the wider nature conservation agenda, including strengthening the role of protected and conserved areas in the sustainable management of natural capital and ecosystem services, climate change adaptation, marine conservation, nature restoration and recovery, connecting people and nature and informing nature-based solutions to threats faced by society. However, challenges remain to achieve protection of key geoheritage sites and landscapes globally, and to integrate better understanding of geodiversity in nature conservation research, policy development and practice to help address the twin crises facing nature conservation – biodiversity loss and climate change. Quaternary studies provide temporal and spatial perspectives to inform forward-looking nature conservation that is dynamic rather than static in outlook.

Geoconservation measures in the River Tejo, the Portuguese reach of the Tagus, are compared with those in the Thames downstream of London (UK). Both are fluvio-estuarine reaches with staircases of Pleistocene depositional terraces, each with important sedimentary, palaeontological and archaeological records. In both rivers, conservation measures are in place that aim to protect these records, promote research and inform the public. Inevitably there are differences in approach. Whereas Thames Quaternary interests are protected by a network of British statutory site designations, outreach is to the fore in the Tejo. Contrasting examples are highlighted here. The Tejo has interpretative materials in local museums and detailed explanatory displays at the low-terrace archaeo-geological site of Foz do Enxarrique, near the border with Spain, and at other sites. The Thames, in contrast, has few examples of physical outreach provision and limited formal protection for Pleistocene archaeological material outside the geological network, although extensive informal protection is provided by interaction between local geological groups and county and local-authority administrations. There is also a considerable difference in the degree of threat, with the Tejo above Lisbon being a relatively undeveloped valley, albeit with sporadic quarrying for aggregate, whereas the Lower Thames is an established area for infrastructure development, lying to the east of London, close to the river crossing of the orbital motorway. The different climate in the two regions profoundly influences the longevity of exposures in Quaternary deposits, with significant implications for management strategies. The comparison exercise reveals that each region would benefit from greater development of approaches used more prominently in the other; outreach measures in the Portuguese style would greatly enhance some of the Thames sites, but formal designation of Tejo exposures could prevent damaging operations being undertaken by owners who lack knowledge of their value, as exemplified by a case study of sites at Alpiarça, ~ 130 km upstream from Lisbon.