Geoheritage

The derivation of the term Geoheritage is from geological heritage. It is thus as heritage category comparable to other forms of natural heritage, such as biodiversity. Some geoheritage sites are related to human activity such as mining, and can also be viewed in terms of cultural heritage.

Geoheritage is also the title of a periodical published by Springer from 2009.^[1]

History of the concept

The first reference to geoheritage as such was at a 1993 conference held in the UK, the Malvern International Conference on Geological and Landscape Conservation (Joyce 1994b;^[2] O'Halloran et al. 1994^[3]). The term geological heritage was first mentioned at the First International Symposium on the Conservation of our Geological Heritage at Digne, France in 1991.^[4] The matter is further discussed in 2002 by Sharples.^[5]

Conceptually, geoheritage derives from various writings of Busby et al. 2001^[6] and Hallam 1989^[7]).

In Sharples 1995^[8] the original concept of geoheritage was further developed to include the protection of dynamic geological processes and geodiversity.

Definition

M Brocx & V Semeniuk (Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 90: 53-87, 2007) offer the following definition.

Geoheritage encompasses global, national, statewide, and local features of geology, at all scales that are intrinsically important sites or culturally important sites offering information or insights into the evolution of the Earth; or into the history of science, or that can be used for research, teaching, or reference.

Geotourism

Geotourism adds to ecotourism’s principal focus on plants (flora) and animals (fauna) by adding a third dimension of the abiotic environment. It is seen around the world through the growth of geoparks as well as independently in many natural and urban areas where tourism’s focus is on the geological environment.

Examples of geoheritage sites

Australia

In Australia, the term geoheritage appeared initially in Bradbury (1993),^[9] and Sharples (1993).^[10]

In Australia there are sites which have natural features (such as Fossil Hill at Cliefden Caves, NSW); cultural features (such as the site of the discovery of the first limestone in inland Australia at Cliefden Caves); scenically important sites such as the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains, of New South Wales, Australia; and indigenous culturally important sites (such as Uluru in the Northern Territory in central Australia).

Indonesia

The Geological Agency of the Indonesian Energy and Resources Ministry has declared nine geological sites in the province of Yogyakarta in Indonesia.^[11] These are:

In Sleman Regency:

• Eocene limestone at Gamping (just to the west of Yogyakarta city).
• Pillow lava at Berbah (south of Prambanan temple area).
• Prehistoric volcanic sediment at Candi Ijo (south of Prambanan temple area).
• Prambanan temple area (east of Yogyakarta city).

In Bantul Regency:

• Sand dunes at Parangtritis beach (south of Yogyakarta city).

In Kulon Progo Regency:

• Kiskendo cave and a former manganese mining site at Kleripan.

In Gunung Kidul Regency:

• Nglanggerang prehistoric volcano (near Patuk, east of Yogyakarta city).
• Wediombo-Siung beach (on the south coast of Java).
• A bioturbation site on the Kali Ngalang (Ngalang river) near Ngalang village north of Wonosari.

Spain

The Geological Society of Spain and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain have produced a list of internationally important geosites (sites of geological interest). This work, which began in 1999, is part of the Global Geosites project promoted by the International Union of Geological Sciences in the 1990s and subsequently supported by UNESCO.^[12] Initially, geological contexts were identified (21 such contexts were listed by 2014), and then representative sites within these themes. The list of sites is not a closed one, and there is a mechanism for considering further nominations.

Teide volcano, Tenerife, has been designated a World Heritage Site in part for its geological interest. Some other WHSs in Spain are of geological interest, but were selected for other features. For example, Spain has one of the two sites of the WHS Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija. However, the criteria by which Almadén was assessed by UNESCO relate to its mining heritage rather than geological interest.

See also

• Geopark
• Geotourism
• Global Geoparks Network
• Asia Pacific Geoparks Network
• European Geoparks Network
• List of National Geoparks

References