Conservation efforts, such as geoconservation, involve some degree of subjectivity, compromising the objective data and verifiable evidence required for effective decision-making. Geodiversity, which comprises the non-living components that underpin life, is increasingly at risk from human activities and is frequently overlooked in conservation initiatives. Here, we develop a novel subjectivity evaluation tool and management framework, […]
The Pha Chan – Sam Phan Bok Geopark is at the easternmost part of Thailand and has the border with Laos. Furthermore, it is the most famous Mekong River Civilization area and dominated by sedimentary rocks of the Khorat Plateau. Different erosion rate produces spectacular landforms such as potholes, rapids, stacks, cliffs, and cascades. According […]
The Garden Park National Natural Landmark in central Colorado U.S.A. was established for 40 acres (0.16 sq. km) by the U.S. National Park Service in 1973 in recognition of its historical and paleontological significance. It was here that rather complete dinosaur skeletons were first discovered in great abundance and diversity in the late 1800s, sparking […]
The Haţeg region of Transylvania-Romania, known as the “Haţeg Country”, due to its specific character as a region wholly encircled by mountains, has been renowned for over a century for its palaeontological geosites from which dinosaur bones of several species, dinosaur eggs and hatchlings, were unearthed along with numerous other taxa representative of all the […]
Re-imagining the geotourism experience through the lens of slow tourism, in this paper we lay out a pathway towards a more nourishing, engaging, and educational experience that contributes to both geoconservation and a reshaping of the tourism economy in light of recent disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Evidence suggests that to date, and further […]
The geodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is linked to the geological evolution of several tectonic units: the South American Platform, the Andean unstable areas (including the Caribbean, Northern, Central, and Southern Andes), and the Patagonian block, as well as terranes related to the North America and Pacific plates. From Argentina and Chile […]
The Azores UNESCO Global Geopark, located in the North Atlantic Ocean is a volcanic archipelago with several non-inhabited islets and nine inhabited islands. The 27 volcanic systems with polygenetic central volcanoes and volcanic ridges, most of them active but dormant, represent an exuberant geological heritage, most of which (77% of geosites) is protected. The quantity […]
Limestone pavements, formed in part as a result of glacial scour, are highly valued parts of the landscape of northern Britain. They have been quarried extensively for use in both gardening and for landscaping in urban recreational spaces. Legal protection was provided in the 1980s and extraction has since been halted in England. This has […]
Geoparks in China have been a great success story, with 284 national geoparks and 41 of them accorded UNESCO international status, the highest number for any country in the world. We track the progress of one of the geoparks, Luoping Biota National Geopark in Yunnan Province, from initial plans after its discovery as a key […]
Faced with the increase of human activities that permanently alter nature, it is more and more necessary to educate people about the importance of protecting nature, including both the biotic and abiotic aspects. In this context, UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are reference territories to educate people about geodiversity and geoconservation in different environments. On the […]
