The ‘8Gs’—a blueprint for Geoheritage, Geoconservation, Geo-education and Geotourism

TLDR

Geoheritage, Geoconservation, Geo‑education and Geo‑tourism demand the protection and management of geologically significant sites, safeguarding valuable features from exploitation and hazards while recognizing the role of geodiversity in supporting biodiversity. The ‘8Gs’ concept serves as policy guidance that links geology to geo‑heritage and, through successive steps, to geo‑education and geo‑tourism. The framework outlines a logical progression from geology to geo‑heritage, to geosites/geoparks, geoconservation, geomanagement, and finally geo‑education and geo‑tourism, stressing that geomanagement—including safety assessment and feature protection—must precede educational and tourism use.

Abstract

In the growing field of Geoheritage, Geoconservation, Geo-education and Geotourism, there is a need to manage sites of geoheritage significance. While there is some great geology in nature available to appreciate for scenic value, education, tourism and research, many locations need to be protected from people and commercialism (e.g. the Iridium layer at the K/T boundary in Gubbio, Italy, the Ediacaran fauna in South Australia, the Burgess Shale in Canada or the zircon crystals at Jack Hills, among many others), and some locations need hazard management to protect people (e.g. continuously collapsing cliffs that have potential to be hazardous via rock falls, or slippery slopes, or high cliffs that are treacherous, or ‘king waves’ on rocky shores). The concept of the ‘8Gs’ is intended as a policy-style guidance that logically and progressively links Geology and Geoheritage through a series of steps to Geo-education and Geotourism. There is a logical progression from Geology the Science, through to Geoheritage and the identification of sites of geoheritage significance, to the establishment of Geosites/Geoparks, Geoconservation, leading to Geomanagement, Geo-education and Geotourism. Geomanagement needs to be undertaken prior to the use of sites for Geo-education and Geotourism. In relation to Geomanagement, sites need to be investigated for safety issues, and for the protection of their geological features. Geodiversity, the eighth ‘G’, is outside the progression but plays an important part in underpinning biodiversity. There is also a need to address and manage geodiversity in a given region or specific site to help understand and manage biodiversity.