Educational pathways, tourism and geoconservation. The network of trails of the Estrela Geopark in the dissemination of science, heritage and tourism sustainability

Abstract

The Estrela Geopark, through the development of programmes and both educational and interpretative routes, aims to stimulate contact with the geological and geomorphological heritage of the Serra da Estrela territory, in an outdoor learning approach that educates and raises awareness of the importance of geoconservation, heritage enhancement and tourism sustainability. As such, the understanding of the history and evolution of the Earth and life is promoted in a natural mountain laboratory context. The educational programmes of the Estrela Geopark, designed in accordance with the curricular programmes of primary and secondary schools in Portugal, promote outdoor activities on the geographic knowledge of the Estrela mountain, its resources and the environmental implications for the local life styles and the impact generated by tourist practices in the territory. Geoeducation and geotourism have gained relevance in tourism development projects, especially in low density territories with recognised heritage value. Guided interpretation of the territory can contribute to the construction of learning about how to value endogenous resources, the landscape and the strategies for developing tourism. This study aims to describe differentiated methodologies and strategies for outdoor learning to identify ways of disseminating knowledge, particularly of the geosciences, to not only encourage the identification of attitudes of geoconservation and valorization of resources for sustainable tourism, but also promote stronger local identities.