Two-level assessment of threats to geodiversity and geoheritage: A case study from Hády quarries (Brno, Czech Republic)

Abstract

Geoconservation is an action of conserving and enhancing geological, geomorphological, hydrological and soil features and processes, sites and specimens. Originally and usually, the geoconservation activities aim at preserving specific sites of Earth Sciences interest, respectively geoheritage. However, for effective and sustainable management of geodiversity and geoheritage, it is necessary to take into account the surroundings of those sites and undertake the geoconservation measures for wider area. Nevertheless, despite established legal protection and related geoconservation activities, threats to geoheritage and geodiversity can arise and reaching a compromise can be difficult. In this paper, a two-level threat assessment is applied and discussed. The first level of threat assessment corresponds to the geoconservation in a strict sense – the method is based on the already used criteria within geosite/geomorphosite concept. The second level of threat assessment corresponds to geoconservation in a broader sense and here, it is represented by Risk Assessment Matrix, which assess the threats within a wider area. Using both approaches provides a complex view on the threats to geodiversity and geoheritage in a study area and complement each other. As a case study, we identified and assessed threats, risks and possible conflicts of interest in an area situated in the outskirts of large city (Hády Hill in Brno, Czech Republic). Based on the evaluation, we proposed particular measures that could contribute to the balance of the different demands and more effective geoconservation management in the study area.