Geotourism and Geoheritage Conservation

Geotourism and geoheritage conservation examine how geological and geomorphological features of the landscape — rock formations, fossil sites, karst systems, volcanic landforms — can be understood, protected, and made accessible to the public without being degraded in the process. The core challenge is practical: geological sites are often fragile, irreplaceable, and poorly integrated into the land-use decisions that govern protected areas and tourism infrastructure, so researchers work on methods to assess a site's scientific value, cultural significance, and vulnerability before recommending how it should be managed. A growing body of work centers on geoparks — territories recognized under the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network — as laboratories for testing whether sustainable tourism can generate local economic benefit while reinforcing rather than undermining conservation. Open questions include how to measure geodiversity's contributions to ecosystem services in terms that influence policy, and how to reconcile international geopark standards with highly varied local governance contexts.

Works

35,877

Total citations

88,921

Keywords

GeotourismGeoheritageGeodiversityGeoconservationGeomorphositesSustainable Tourism