Geological Uniqueness and Potential Geotouristic Appeal of Murge and Premurge, the First Territory in Puglia (Southern Italy) Aspiring to Become a UNESCO Global Geopark

Abstract

At the end of November 2021, a large area of Puglia (an administrative region in Southern Italy) was officially nominated as new aUGGp (aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark) by the Italian National Commission of UNESCO. This area comprises the northwestern part of the Murge territory, where a Cretaceous sector of the Apulia Carbonate Platform crops out, and part of the adjacent Premurge territory (where the southwestward lateral continuation of the same platform, being flexed toward the Southern Apennines Chain) is covered by thin Plio-Quaternary foredeep deposits. The worldwide geological uniqueness of the aspiring Geopark (Murge aUGGp) is that the area is the only in situ remnant of the Adria Plate, the old continental plate almost entirely squeezed between the Africa and Eurasia Plates. In such a context, the Murge area (part of the Apulia Foreland) is a virtually undeformed sector of Adria, while other territories of the plate are and/or were involved in the subduction/collision processes. In the aspiring Geopark, the crust of Adria is still rooted to its mantle, and the Cretaceous evolution of the continent is widely recorded in the Murge area thanks to the shallow-water carbonate succession of one of the largest peri-Tethys carbonate platforms (the Apulia Carbonate Platform). The aspiring Geopark also comprises the Premurge area, which represents the outer Southern Apennines foredeep, whose Plio-Quaternary evolution is spectacularly exposed thanks to an “anomalous” regional middle-late Quaternary uplift. Despite the presence of numerous geological singularities of international importance, it would be important, from a geotourist point of view, to propose a regional framework of the geology of the aUGGp before introducing visitors to the significance of the individual geosites, whose importance could be amplified if included in the geoevolutionary context of the Murge aUGGp.

Attractiveness Assessment Model for Evaluating an Area for a Potential Geopark—Case Study: Hațeg UNESCO Global Geopark (Romania)

“…An aspiring UNESCO Geopark first and foremost requires geological uniqueness with geotourism potential [80]. Thus, when surveying the tourism objective a researcher must first check how the objective responds to five attributes: age, uniqueness, originality, size, and function fulfilled [4].…”

Revitalization Potential of Marginal Areas for Sustainable Rural Development in the Puglia Region, Southern Italy: Part I: A Review

“…By attracting visitors, mountain areas offer a sustainable development strategy according to Romeo et al [24]. In fact, the Arouca Declaration (2011) states that tourism can sustain and enhance the identity of a territory, taking into consideration its geology, environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents [25]. In Slovenia's mountain regions, Trček and Koderman [26] found that sustainable tourism was an important development policy suitable for the conservation of protected mountainous natural and cultural landscapes facing intense depopulation and loss of agricultural land.…”

“…Agriculture in Murgia was limited to flat valleys and depression bottoms where fertile soil had accumulated. The barren karst areas outside of these -The Murgia area, also known as 'le Murge' in Italian, is situated in the centre of the Puglia region [25]. The rural area of Alta Murgia, which is the highest plateau in the Murgia area, contains Italy's first National Rural Park (approximately 68 ha), created in 2004 [36], and boasts numerous significant historical, archaeological, and paleontological sites [4].…”

Salt Production and the Geoheritage of the Huesca Province (Spain): Context, History, and Potential as an Educational Resource

“…Different authors have emphasized their significance from a geotouristic point of view, using UGGps but also other geosites as local touristic products that offer a framework of a holistic geotouristic approach by setting a link between culture and nature [46,47]. They can also be linked with Sustainable Development Goals [48], and on their official websites, many UGGps present materials that can be used both on-site and off-site [49].…”