Karst as Important Resource for Geopark-Based Tourism: Current State and Biases

Dmitry Ruban

doi:10.3390/resources7040082

Abstract

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Geoparks initiative balances the conservation of geological heritage with its use in purposes of tourism industry. However, the resources of geoparks and the current state of their use are yet to be fully understood. The phenomenon of karst (caves, sinkholes, etc.) appears to be a valuable geopark resource because it attracts numerous visitors interested in geo-, eco-, and speleotourism. Of 140 global geoparks, 37% exploit karst resources. These are located chiefly in Europe and Southeast Asia. Just a few geoparks are fully based on karst features and the others use this resource together with other geological heritage resources. Global geoparks tend to emphasize either particular karst elements or entire karst landscapes. Many interesting features (e.g., gypsum and salt karst) are underrepresented in global geoparks. The UNESCO Global Geoparks initiative should become more phenomenon-focused to offer full representation of karst resources. For some countries like Russia and the United States, where geoparks have not been created yet, the consideration of karst resources may provide significant advantages in the strategic development of geopark-based geotourism.

Highlights

Geological resources are important for modern society because of many reasons, extraction of minerals, hydrocarbons, and construction materials
Such a wide distribution of the specific natural phenomenon underlines the big importance of karst resources for geopark-related geotourism
Karst-related geoparks are concentrated in Europe and Southeast Asia and the diversity of Second, karst-related concentrated in Third, Europe

Summary

Introduction

Geological resources are important for modern society because of many reasons, extraction of minerals, hydrocarbons, and construction materials. The powerful approach to the simultaneous conservation and tourism-based exploitation of the geological heritage resource, namely the UNESCO-based initiative of global geoparks, has been developed during the past two decades. Further important relevant knowledge can be found in the very new work of Gabriel [11], Han et al [12], and Justice [13]. Global geoparks represent particular geological features or entire geological landscapes that are of outstanding uniqueness and, of international importance. The very recognition and conservation of geological heritage are offered in such establishments. Geoparks allow the efficient promotion of this geoheritage by attracting crowds of tourists, offering highly-professional geoeducational programs, and establishing links to the ethnocultural landscape

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