Key Geotourism Elements

A  more holistic approach to geoconservation, is  ensuring a sound future for the physical or abiotic resources of the planet, we must learn to work with nature rather than seeking to dominate or subjugate it (Gray,2003);Geoconservation measures coupled with tourism promotion are key geotourism elements( Hose,2006), Also  in the book , fundamentals of Geotourism(Sadry,2009),the  Author mentioned that   :      ... It  is better to consider  geoconservation         through   geotourism window …      A. Tourism Promotion      Tourism elements of Geotourism industry   (see             Newsome& Dowling, 2006 ;and Sadry 2009)  : 1.     Planning and Management of Geosites 2.     Geo-Interpretation  3.     Geo-Activities 4.     Geo-Tours 5.     Accomodation 6.    Geological ,Geomorphologial and Mining Heritage  Attractions B. Geoconservation Measures      To Finding out more about geo- conservation :            Finding out more about geo- conservation** Organisation Function Website ProGEO European association for geological conservation http://www.progeo.se/ English Nature*  Government agency responsible for geological conservation in England http://www.english-nature.org.uk/ Scottish Natural Heritage Government agency responsible for geological conservation in Scotland http://www.snh.gov.uk/ Environment and Heritage Service, Northern Ireland Government department responsible for geological conservation in Northern Ireland http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/ Joint Nature Conservation Committee Government agency responsible for the Geological Conservation Review (GCR) and for UK-wide geological conservation issues. http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ Countryside Agency* Government Agency responsible for countryside issues including landscape protection http://www.countryside.gov.uk/ UKRIGS Association of RIGS groups in the UK http://www.ukrigs.org.uk/ The Geology Trusts A partnership of RIGS groups working as ‘trusts’ Various websites, for example http://www.glosgeotrust.org.uk/ GeoConservation Commission of the Geological Society of London The GeoConservation Commission is a forum for geological conservation in the UK. The major organisations and groups interested in geological conservation are represented on the commission http://www.geoconservation.com/ Countryside Council for Wales Government agency responsible for geological conservation in Wales http://www.ccw.gov.uk/ British Institute for Geological Conservation An independent group of geoscientists committed to geological conservation See ProGEO website Geologists’ Association An organisation serving the interests of both amateur and professional geologists in the UK http://www.geologist.demon.co.uk/ Geological Society of London UK national society for professional geoscientists, hosts the GeoConservation Commission http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/ Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site Team Management of the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site http://www.jurassiccoast.com/ UNESCO Selection and inscription of World Heritage Sites http://whc.unesco.org/ European Geopark Network Coordination of European Geoparks http://www.europeangeoparks.org/ Geological Curators Group An organisation dedicated to improving the status of geology in museums and raising the standard of geological curation www.hmag.gla.ac.uk/gcg Natural History Museum Promotion and curation of world class rock, fossil and mineral collections http://www.nhm.ac.uk/ British Geological Survey National geological survey for Great Britain http://www.bgs.ac.uk/ Quaternary Research Association Organisation for Quaternary research http://www.qra.org.uk/ British Geomorphological Research Group Professional organisation for eomorphologists in Great Britain www.bgrg.org British Caving Association Organisation for British caving http://www.british-caving.org.uk/ Palaeontological Society Professional organisation for palaeontologists www.palass.org Rockwatch Nationwide club for young geologists www.rockwatch.org.uk * From October 2006, the current roles of English Nature, the Landscape, Access and Recreation division of the Countryside Agency and the environment activities of the Rural Development Service will be brought together to form a new independent body – Natural England. Source : English Nature 2006, http://www.english-nature.org.uk/

Gary M.,2003 Geodiversity: Valuing and Conserving Abiotic Nature, John Wiley , Chichester 434pp. Hose, Thomas A.,:Geotourism and interpretation,In:Dowling R.K.&Newsome  D.(Eds):Geotourism-221-241, Oxford-Burlington(Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann)2006. Newsome, D. and Dowling, RK. (2006) The scope and nature of Geotourisms. In Dowling, R. and Newsome, D. (eds.), Geotourism. Elsevier/Heineman Publishers, Oxford, UK, pp.3-25 Sadry  BN (2009) Fundamentals of geotourism: with special  emphasis on Iran. Samt Organization Publishing, Tehran, Iran   (English Summary available Online at: http://physio-geo.revues.org/3159?file=1 )

**Prosser C , Murphy  M, and Larwood J  (2006) Geological conservation: a guide to good practice, English Nature