Geodiversity action plans for the enhancement of geoheritage in the Piemonte region (north-western Italy)

Abstract

A geoethical approach to geodiversity allows better understanding of the value of abiotic nature and enhances its conservation and development. Our basic assumption is that even during an economical crisis, geoheritage sites can serve both public and private interests. A set of nine strategic geothematic areas were chosen to represent the geodiversity of the Piemonte region, north-western Italy, each of which is characterized by great potential for scientific studies, enhancement of public understanding of science, recreational activities, and economic support to the local communities. Specialized research teams individuated critical aspects to advance our knowledge of the geological history of the Piemonte region, through climate and environmental changes, natural hazards, soil processes, and georesources. The scientific concepts and techniques were coupled with geodiffusion actions and products: not only geosites, but also museum collections, evidence of mining and quarrying activities, science exhibitions, and nature trails. The preliminary results have allowed action plans to be developed with local partners, to assess the geoheritage management requirements. A series of investigations were carried out to improve the visual representation of the geological processes and the evolutionary scenarios. Further outcomes of the project will include didactic tools for educators, schools, and the public in general. Methods and stages of the 'PROGEO-Piemonte' research programFrom a geoethical perspective, the multidisciplinary research project known as 'PROGEO-Piemonte' (PROactive management of the GEOlogical heritage in the Article history

Sustainable Geotourism in the Chiusella Valley (NW Italian Alps): A Tool for Enhancing Alpine Geoheritage in the Context of Climate Change

“…The geosite assessment model (GAM) from [129] has been applied to the sites of geological interest for the individuation of the best geosites for the geotourism development in the Chiusella Valley. For each geosite chosen using the GAM, a descriptive card (or inventory card, modified by the ISPRA [130] according to the geosite inventory initiatives in the Piemonte region [131][132][133][134][135][136]) and the geosystem services table [11] have been filled. After the filling of the inventory card and the GS table, traces of past and present climate change have been highlighted in some geosites.…”

Landslides, a Key Landform in the Global Geological Heritage

“…Scientists can transfer their knowledge on the geological changes that affect the Earth at different time and spatial scales through landscapes, landforms, and outcrops. The growing interest in geoheritage and geoconservation in the last decades has caused the rise of a number of local (e.g., Burlando et al, 2011;Migoń et al, 2018;Venturini and Pasquaré Mariotto, 2019), regional (e.g., Fuertes-Gutiérrez and Fernández-Martínez, 2010;Vasiljević et al, 2011;Ferrero et al, 2012;Migoń and Pijet-Migoń, 2016;Moufti and Németh, 2016;Szepesi et al, 2017), national (e.g., De Wever et al, 2015;Chlachula, 2020), and international (Wimbledon and Smith-Meyer, 2012;Larwood et al, 2013;Reynard and Coratza, 2013;Woo, 2017;Finney and Hilario, 2018) initiatives up to UNESCO Geoparks and to UNESCO World Heritage sites Reynard and Brilha, 2018), and advances in the cooperation between scientific researchers, public-policy makers and environmental conservationists (Brocx and Semeniuk, 2007;Henriques et al, 2011;Brilha, 2018).…”

Is It Worth Assessing Geodiversity Numerically? A Comparative Analysis between Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches in Miguel Pereira Municipality, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…However, studies relating the quantitative assessment of geodiversity with geoheritage and the use of the geodiversity index maps for management and geoconservation purposes are not very sound. The relationship between geodiversity and geoheritage is usually shown in geodiversity assessment studies using a qualitative approach [14], where the description of the geodiversity elements is sometimes used to establish a link between geodiversity and geoheritage values [26,27].…”