The creation of geoparks has become an important international movement. Apparently, each new geopark is not only the outcome of long-term research and organizational efforts, but it also signifies a kind of starting point for new investigations and geological heritage management solutions. Geoparks are true laboratories for studying peculiar geological phenomena, testing geoconservation approaches, and analyzing geotourist attitudes, motivations, and satisfaction. The new book edited by Dóniz-Páez & Pérez presents the experience and the findings of the multi-aspect research undertaken in the El Hierro UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) established in the Canary Islands of Spain for about a decade. Taking into account the general importance and the diversity of the topics considered in this book, the latter deserves the attention of the international research community. It should be stressed that this geopark represents chiefly volcanic geoheritage, and, thus, the volume bears a lot of information about volcanism.
The book is organized a bit peculiarly. In the preface, the editors explain that the chapters are arranged into four parts, but these parts are not marked anyhow in the book. What the readers can see is the mix of very different topics explained in several separate research contributions (each chapter is an individual paper, with an abstract, keywords, and a list of references).
The book boasts rich content, and it consists of eleven main chapters. A preface clarifies its structure, but something went wrong with the explanation of the content of the contributions (the titles of the latter and the brief descriptions do not match in several cases – at least, this occurs with the book’s version available on the Publisher’s web page). The first chapter by Németh reviews the essential knowledge of volcanism as a unique phenomenon and explains the importance of its cultural frames for judgments of the related geoheritage. The offered conceptual and methodological interpretations are of outstanding importance. The next chapter by Hernández Ramos et al. summarizes the knowledge of volcanism on El Hierro island. Guillén-Martin & Romero characterize the volcanic geomorphology of this island. The following chapter by Casillas Ruiz et al. forms the “core” of this book because it presents the principles of the geoheritage inventory on El Hierro. As many as 61 geosites are established. Their classification is intuitive, and the methodology of the inventory is relatively easy-to-follow. The authors have preferred rather qualitative analysis of ”their” geosites, and it is reasonable to agree with this choice because various semi-quantitative techniques are often too subjective. Surprisingly, this chapter is short. One would expect to find there a detailed catalog of the established geosites (not only their names and too generally defined types), as well as several plates with images of all geosites. The three next chapters deal with the vegetation and cultural landscapes of the island. Indeed, they are very important because geoheritage and geotourism should always be put into the landscape and anthropogenic contexts (Gordon 2018). This may lead to finding some unusual aspects like the co-occurrence of basalt outcrops and cattle roads (Fig. 1 on p. 78). Dóniz-Páez & Becerra-Ramírez consider geomorphosites of the El Hierro UGGp and propose a georoute. They must indicate some technical details about the latter. Two very informative chapters deal with the other possible activities in the geopark, namely birdwatching and experiences based on cultural seascapes. The chapter by Hernández Ramos et al. returns the readers to the theme of volcanism, and it discusses the effects of the 2011-2012 submarine volcano eruption on the island and its communities. Particularly, it is explained how the geopark creation was related to the achievement of post-eruption sustainability. At the end of the volume, some readers would prefer to find a glossary and subject index, but these are absent.
The general impressions of the content of this book are rather positive. First, some new knowledge is presented. Second, the importance of thematic frameworks for geoparks is demonstrated. Third, the spectrum of tourist activities (also non-geological) in such island-restricted geoparks is revealed. One should note the insufficiency of detailed and well-systematized information about geosites (see above) and the absence of any chapter explaining the El Hierro UGGp management structure (how does this geopark look as an organization, what is the workforce, which investments are required and who can provide them, and what are economical benefits?). Practical pieces of advice and something like a summary for policy-makers written very easily would also be very suitable for this book.
Some non-geological topics (e.g., birdwatching) are explained even better than those related to geoheritage. Indeed, volcanism is the central theme of the geopark, but the latter also boasts some other interesting features (for instance, there are dozens of palaeontological localities (Martín-González et al. 2019), and it would be intriguing to learn more about them. Nonetheless, the volume is something more than a mere collection of papers linked by the focus on the same object. Taken together, the contributions clarify the ways by which the research can be organized in global and other geoparks. And what is appreciated in the reviewed book is the contributors’ dedication to conceptual, empirical, and practical developments.
The style of the book is purely academic, but the text is easy-to-follow. The illustrations are colorful and rich. Their size and resolution are chiefly appropriate. More abundant and more systematized photographs of the mentioned geosites would benefit the volume. Although all chapters are individual papers, the continuous numbering of the figures would facilitate navigation in the book. Taken entirely, the latter bears a lot of citations of the literature, although some chapters are referenced much better than others.
The reviewed book provides really extensive characteristics of the El Hierro UGGp. The contributors have become able to demonstrate various aspects of geoparks, which are not restricted only to geological themes. The noted deficiencies do not diminish the importance of the volume. The latter is strongly recommended to all experts in geoheritage and geotourism, as well as in volcanism and volcanic geomorphology. The target audience includes scientists and graduate students. Practitioners with advanced geological knowledge will also appreciate this publication.