Newly Emerging Geosites in the Polish Western Outer Carpathians as an Asset for Geoeducation and Geotourism

Abstract

This study focuses on Flysch Carpathian river valleys recently reshaped by the fluvial erosion. Geological structures of these mountains are rather monotonous. However, numerous floods that occurred in recent decades and the abrasion of banks of water reservoirs have made many parts of valleys particularly interesting not only for geologists but also for tourists and for local people as a pleasant place for recreation. New outcrops of flysch sediments appear in different spatial and social contexts. On the basis fieldwork observations in years 2009–2018, four case studies of the newly emerging geosites in the Polish Flysch Carpathians are presented. In one case, few people seem to notice the new geosite. In two other cases, local communities have taken initiatives to use the newly emerging geosites for education. The fourth case is the walking path at the foothill of a rocky hill with the reconstructed medieval castle at the top. The owner of the castle arranged this path as an additional commercial attraction for visitors of the castle. The author analyses also possibilities of the formal protection of the newly emerging geosites within the existing Polish nature protection system. Finally lessons that can be learnt from these activities for other Carpathian communities are presented.