Geotourism - a geographical review of the literature.

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Permafrost conditions in the Mediterranean region since the Last Glaciation

Since the Digne Convention in 1991, the literature related to Geoparks has gained a growing interest on the academy’s part, especially in achieving the preservation of geological interest sites through sustainable tourism. This article aims to provide an analysis of the academic research on Geoparks, based on publications in the Scopus database in the period 2002–2020. Bibliometric analysis methods and bibliographic display maps were examined using VOSviewer software. The bibliometric analysis process comprises three phases: (i) Search Criteria and Source Identification, (ii) software and data extraction, and (iii) data analysis and interpretation. The results show geoparks in full growth as a scientific discipline, thanks to the contribution of various authors, institutions, journals, and related topics that confirm the importance of this field of study. Additionally, bibliometric maps lead to an understanding of the intellectual structure of the subject, in which keyword co-occurrence analysis shows six main themes, ranging from ‘UNESCO Global Geoparks’ to ‘Geo-tourism-Sustainable Tourism’. this, combined with maps of co-citation, broadly exhibits this structure and development, showing areas of current interest and potential development, thus offering the latest knowledge on Geopark research worldwide. There is a growing concentration of research on geomorphological heritage and geo-tourism, focusing on methodologies to evaluate the specialities of this type of heritage and define the concept of geo-tourism; there is a great interest especially in the evaluation and identification of geo-site/geo-morphosites which try to eliminate subjectivity in methods and focus on sustainable development of the localities.

Worldwide Research on Geoparks through Bibliometric Analysis

The consequence of assessing the natural and cultural heritage of a territory is the need of tools for their management. The European Geoparks Network and the Global Geoparks Network (assisted by UNESCO) have the function to provide these tools, aiming at promoting the sustainable development of a territory through the valorization and conservation of its natural and cultural heritage. Becoming an international recognised Geopark in 2005, the Beigua territory has gathered increasing attention from local authorities, tourism operators, entrepreneurs, universities and research institutions, schools, volunteers and environmental associations. During the last 5 years Beigua Geopark developed several projects and acted to raise public awareness on nature conservation. Thanks to effective collaboration with geoscientists, local authorities and tourism organisations, Beigua Geopark set up a structured network of interpretation facilities to support geotourism activities. In this direction, Beigua Geopark also launched an organised touristic offer. Connecting landscape, cultural heritage, sports facilities with unique geological and geomorphological features, Beigua Geopark presents multiple services to encourage both local and regional sustainable development.

From Geoheritage to Sustainable Development: Strategies and Perspectives in the Beigua Geopark (Italy)

Geoheritage is now a globally recognized natural conservation strategy built on a research and science-based framework. We suggest that to date in New Zealand, mainstream approaches to conservation, protection, and tourism have poorly served our unique geoheritage landscapes and features. The two locations presented as cases in this paper represent geoheritage and cultural values unique to New Zealand due to its dynamic geological history and cultural history represented in the archaeological record. In this paper, we demonstrate the potential for community-led development utilizing internationally recognized best practices. This in turn will provide a foundation for low-impact and sustainable tourism, education, and training opportunities of benefit to local, regional, and national communities. New Zealand has recently joined the global geoheritage trend through the UNESCO Global Geoparks Programme, with the first application for geopark designation in this country currently under review. In this paper, we define geoheritage and associated concepts and demonstrate their potential role in tourism development and research, based on international best-practice methodologies and frameworks. Here, we investigate current issues relating to geoheritage and geotourism in New Zealand. We discuss a current lack of coherent protective legislation relating to geoheritage features and landscapes, demonstrated by the conflict between development and protection being played out at four geologically significant sites at two locations in New Zealand. Geotourism potential of the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve in South Auckland has been the subject of research, with guided tours undertaken on an ad hoc basis. A community group is currently campaigning against a proposed housing development adjacent to the Historic Reserve and facilitating research and community engagement with the cultural and geological history of the area. We present the nearby Māngere Mountain Education Centre as a model on which to base further geoheritage development within the area. At the centre, low-impact non-invasive methods and technologies are used, thereby supporting and facilitating sustainable education and tourism ventures in collaboration with the local community and tangata whenua (indigenous people of the land). In the South Island of New Zealand, investigations over the last decade have revealed Foulden Maar as one of the most significant palaeogeographical and palaeoecological sites in the Southern Hemisphere. The maar in Central Otago is the preserved remnant of a crater lake formed by explosive phreatomagmatic volcanic eruptions about 23 million years ago. Diatomite deposits accumulated in the maar crater contain a rich and significant fossil record of the Miocene in New Zealand and the wider Southern Hemisphere. We use recent developments in the case of Foulden Maar to highlight the lack of a national policy or legislation relating specifically to significant fossil or geoheritage sites on private land. The nearby Vanished-World Fossil Museum is a highly successful community-based venture highlighting the geoheritage of the area in an accessible and engaging manner, built on 17 years of largely voluntary contributions in collaboration with the University of Otago.

The Case for Community-Led Geoheritage and Geoconservation Ventures in Māngere, South Auckland, and Central Otago, New Zealand

The area around Monte Beigua is characterized by accumulations of large blocks. Survey indicates the occurrence of flow structures on the surfaces of the blockfields, and a pattern of long axis orientation aligned in the same direction as the local gradient. Blocks are often imbricated upslope at the front. The formation of block streams is tentatively attributed to cold-climate conditions during the Pleistocene. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relict blockfields in the Ligurian Alps (Mount Beigua, Italy)

The Liguria regional government has decided to produce a regional geosite inventory to provide an exhaustive and innovative tool for promoting geotourism and supporting interpretative and educational activities.The survey aims to identify the main geological values of the Ligurian territory to compile a list of the most significant sites and to identify the adequate measures to protect and to enhance them.For these reasons it was established to acquire geological information with a careful fieldwork and through the use of an appropriate GIS database and an electronic document for each geosite, which was implemented with new additional and more specific and detailed attributes, compared to the ISPRA national inventory.

C. Queirolo

Papers

From Geoheritage to Sustainable Development: Strategies and Perspectives in the Beigua Geopark (Italy)

Relict blockfields in the Ligurian Alps (Mount Beigua, Italy)

Geosites inventory in Liguria Region (Italy) and in Beigua Geopark:updating activities