The derivation of the term geoheritage is from geological heritage. It is thus a heritage category comparable to other forms of natural heritage, such as biodiversity. Some geoheritage sites, or "geosites", are related to human activity such as mining, and can also be viewed in terms of cultural heritage. Geoheritage is also the title of a periodical published by Springer from 2009.
History of the concept
The first reference to geoheritage as such was at a 1993 conference held in the UK, the Malvern International Conference on Geological and Landscape Conservation, geoconservation. The term geological heritage was first mentioned at the First International Symposium on the Conservation of our Geological Heritage at Digne, France in 1991. The matter is further discussed in 2002 by Sharples. Conceptually, geoheritage derives from various writings of Busby et al. 2001 and Hallam 1989). In Sharples 1995 the original concept of geoheritage was further developed to include the protection of dynamic geological processes and geodiversity.
Definition
M Brocx & V Semeniuk offer the following definition. Geoheritage encompasses global, national, statewide, and local features of geology, at all scales that are intrinsically important sites or culturally important sites offering information or insights into the evolution of the Earth; or into the history of science, or that can be used for research, teaching, or reference.
Geotourism
"Geotourism is a knowledge -based tourism, an interdisciplinary integration of the tourism industry with conservation and interpretation of abiotic nature attributes, besides considering related cultural issues, within the geosites for the general public." It is seen around the world through the growth of geoparks as well as independently in many natural and urban areas where tourism’s focus is on the geological environment.
In Australia, the term geoheritage appeared initially in Bradbury, and Sharples. In Australia there are sites which have natural features ; cultural features ; scenically important sites such as the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains, of New South Wales, Australia; and indigenous culturally important sites such as Uluru in the Northern Territory.
The Geological Agency of the Indonesian Energy and Resources Ministry has declared nine geological sites in the province of Yogyakarta in Indonesia. These are: In Sleman Regency:
The Geological Society of Spain and the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain have produced a list of internationally important geosites. This work, which began in 1999, is part of the Global Geosites project promoted by the International Union of Geological Sciences in the 1990s and subsequently supported by UNESCO. Initially, geological contexts were identified, and then representative sites within these themes. The list of sites is not a closed one, and there is a mechanism for considering further nominations. Teide volcano, Tenerife, has been designated a World Heritage Site in part for its geological interest. Some other WHSs in Spain are of geological interest, but were selected for other features. For example, Spain has one of the two sites of the WHS Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija. However, the criteria by which Almadén was assessed by UNESCO relate to its mining heritage rather than geological interest.
Ethiopia
With its diversified lithology, dissected landscapes and rock churches, there is a large amount of geoheritage in Ethiopia. Among the better documented geosites there is the Zeyicave in Dogu'a Tembien''.
