Two-level assessment of threats to geodiversity and geoheritage

Abstract

<p>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-science 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. Geoconservation activities involve the care, management, protection and promotion of geoheritage and geodiversity and help to balance the conservation needs and sustainable use of these entities. Nevertheless, despite established legal protection, threats to geoheritage and geodiversity can arise and reaching a compromise can be difficult. Thus, the identification and assessment of threats should be also included in geoconservation activities. In this contribution, the two-level threat assessment is applied and discussed. The first level of threat assessment corresponds to the geoconservation in a strict sense – the method for assessing the threats is based on the already used criteria within geosite/geomorphosite concept. The second level of threat assessment corresponds to the geoconservation in broader sense and here, it is represented by Risk Assessment Matrix which assess the threats within wider area. Using both approaches provides a complex view on the threats to geodiversity and geoheritage in a study area and complement each other. The concept was applied in an area situated in the outskirts of a large city (Hády Hill in Brno, Czech Republic), where threats, risks and possible conflicts of interest were identified and assessed. The results offered a framework for future management proposals that may contribute to the balance of the different demands and more effective geoconservation management in the study area.</p>