Geomorphological Heritage of the Pyrenees National Park (France): Assessment, Clustering, and Promotion of Geomorphosites

Abstract

The Pyrenees National Park is located in the western portion of the Pyrenees. It includes the majority of the peaks of height greater than 3000 m a.s.l. on the French side of the ridge. One region within this area (Cirque of Gavarnie) has been a listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. Its geomorphological heritage is exceptional and the National Park would like to promote it. The aim of this paper is thus to propose an example of the assessment and promotion of geomorphosites at a regional scale. The assessment only concerns glacial and periglacial landforms and is based on three criteria: scientific, cultural, and use values. Potential geomorphosite assessment results are divided into two rankings: one is based on a “management score” and the other on a “tourism score”. The highest-priority geomorphosites for management and tourism use are objectively defined, by making use of a hierarchical ascendant classification method which reveals three main groups of homogenous geomorphosites, interpreted as “High priority”, “Medium priority”, and “Low priority”. An example of tourism promotion (an educational panel) is given for one of the priority geomorphosites.