European Geologist European Geologist Geoheritage - learning ...

an attractive type of ‘displaced’ geoheritage,
allowing the study of facies development
and weathering phenomena in conjunction
with physical characteristics of the building
materials.
Geoconservation as part of the geo-biocultural
heritage management chain
Barriers to conservation of geosites / preservation
of geodiversity
Experience from many countries shows
that geologists as a stand-alone group are
unable or even unwilling to protect geodiversity
or to convey the message of its
urgency. Geomorphologists (physical geographers
in the Belgian context) share the
same values. With their backgrounds in
the educational system or land use agencies
they are more efficient in dealing with
the public. Moreover, sharing knowledge
among geologists, geomorphologists, soil
scientists and hydrologists will bring a
more holistic approach, which is necessary
to convince society as a whole of the
importance of geodiversity.
Filling the gap left by the inadequate
treatment of System Earth in the educational
system, resulting directly in lack of
visibility, indirectly in insufficient numbers
of professionals and funding of geoconservation
programmes, can be achieved by
involving volunteers. Because of their different
background and interest they allow
overlap with conservation of biodiversity
and cultural heritage issues. A problematic
issue is the rapid deterioration or abandonment
of many geosites located in quarries,
once quarrying operations are terminated.
Without local volunteers, remedial
action may come too late or become more
expensive.
Nature conservation groups are well
established in our society and manage those
areas where conservation is most urgently
needed. Cooperation would create a winwin
situation because these groups can provide
the supporting framework for effective
geosite protection while they can use
geoscientific input for sustainable management
of ecosystems. This requires mutual
understanding: biologists should realize
that nature is dynamic and that working
geological processes contribute to ecosystem
resilience, while geologists should
intuitively accept that living nature has a
higher value from an ethical perspective.
There are so many urgent needs for conservation
of the geological heritage and so
Figure 5: Combining natural environment and geoheritage values in the former glass sand pit of
Opgrimbie: great outcrop exposing evidences for climate change (from Miocene lignites to Pleistocene
polygonal soils) (photograph: Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland).
few government or industry-supported
programmes that this issue cannot be left
only to professionals. Geoscientists wherever
they are working, or retired, should
continue to instruct if not assist local conservationists
or more actively participate in
- and why not initiate - local conservation
projects. This could mean that presentation
of geoheritage values does not meet
academic standards. However, geological
information provided to the public by
guides and volunteers will rarely represent
state-of-the-art scientific knowledge. It
need not be academic but instead address
the feeling of the public. The public must
feel satisfied with the acquired information,
proud of the work of past generations and
attached to the works of nature. Popularization
is not necessarily a downgraded form
of science communication but can play a
vital role in public involvement in conservation
issues (Fig. 6). Not many geoscientists
are trained as science communicators but
they should realise the value of non-scientific
communicators.
Actions for the advancement of geoheritage
conservation and management
Act locally. Help conservationists to
discover the geodiversity values which are
often present in what they cherish. Past geological
processes or human use of natural
resources are responsible for current biodiversity;
active geological processes are
often vital for maintaining the health of an
ecosystem; windows on geological features
increase the ecosystem variability. Similarly,
industrial and mining heritage are linked
to the natural environment in which the
industry was operating, and depend on the
natural inorganic ingredients of the products
manufactured. This seems obvious for
coal mines, brick yards, lime kilns, but is
equally the case for breweries, water mills,
metallurgy. Geoscientific input is essential
in explaining the geographical origin of
many industrial activities while its impact
remains secondary to building and manufacturing
processes in the public outreach.
On a policy level, a common practice for
all countries is raising awareness of geodi-
Figure 6: Example of popularisation: geological
bicycle route in the province of Limburg (Eastern
Belgium): explaining the landscape and linking
substrate with nature (flora and fauna) and culture
(natural building stones).
10