Geoheritage as a Tool for Environmental Management: A Case Study in Northern Malta (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

The recognition, selection and quantitative assessment of sites of geological and geomorphological interest are fundamental steps in any environmental management focused on geoconservation and geotourism promotion. The island of Malta, in the central Mediterranean Sea, despite having a steadily increasing growth in population and tourism, still conserves geological and geomorphological features of great relevance and interest, both for their contribution to the understanding of the geological processes acting through time on landscape and for their aesthetic importance. The present work proposes an inventory for northern Malta, through three main stages, with the outcome of a final list of geosites that have the potential to be recognized as both natural heritage and tourist resources with potential economic benefits. In particular, the assessment methodology applied combines scientific value and additional and use-values, showing the links existing between geoheritage and other aspects of nature and culture of the sites. The results provide useful knowledge for the definition of strategies aimed at the development of a sustainable and responsible tourism.

Cultural Ecosystem Services of Geodiversity: A Case Study from Stránská skála (Brno, Czech Republic)

“…To a limited extent, these findings can be used as an argument when discussing proposals for educational, tourist, or recreational use of this site. However, to assess the suitability of the site for these purposes, it would be preferable to apply classical methods of geosite and geomorphosite assessment e.g., [99][100][101][102][103][104]. The proper assessment would be elaborated by experts, but local stakeholders, authorities, or managing organizations would use the results of the assessment for identifying the sites with a geotourist potential [102,105] or designing various geotourist activities such as geopaths or geotourist itineraries [106,107].…”

Coastal Vulnerability Assessment along the North-Eastern Sector of Gozo Island (Malta, Mediterranean Sea)

“…Studies that include geoheritage assessment and geosite inventory highlight that the Maltese archipelago is considered as an attractive geotourist destination due to the strong interaction between natural and cultural aspects (cf. [71,88]). Data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) for the year 2017, retrieved from Selmi et al [88], show that 27.1% of Malta's GDP and 28.3% of total Maltese employment (corresponding to 55,000 jobs), were accounted for by activities directly related to and induced by travel and tourism [89,90].…”

“…[71,88]). Data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) for the year 2017, retrieved from Selmi et al [88], show that 27.1% of Malta's GDP and 28.3% of total Maltese employment (corresponding to 55,000 jobs), were accounted for by activities directly related to and induced by travel and tourism [89,90]. Taking the type of tourism into consideration, data referring to 2017 show that the majority of tourists (almost 85%) visited Malta for holidays, while a very low percentage visited the country for business and other purposes (8% and 7%, respectively).…”

Regional Geotourist Resources—Assessment and Management (A Case Study in SE Poland)

“…Geoparks have a special role in the development of geotourism-"geographical areas where geological heritage sites are part of a holistic concept of protection, education, and sustainable development" [4]. The appropriate use of geoheritage resources of a particular area and the development of the geotourist function should be preceded by a diagnosis of the current state in this respect [5][6][7]. This enables the planning of the kind of measures aimed at transforming geoheritage resources into geotourist attractions.…”

“…The location of the studied geosites within the proposed geopark and the distance (travel time by car) from larger cities. (1) Main tourist localities, (2) cultural assets-museums, (3) health resorts, (4) geosites, (5) boundaries of the proposed geopark, (6) railway line,(7) main roads. Border of proposed Geopark afterKrąpiec et al (2012) [26] …”