GeoHeritage Task Group

Transcription

1 GeoHeritage Task Group Annual Report 2012 Plan of action for 2013 TITLE OF CONSTITUENT BODY IUGS Geoheritage task group. This GTG was created at the initiative of IUGS board OVERALL OBJECTIVES Through the leadership of individuals and organizations with background in this particular issue, the IUGS Task Group on GeoHeritage works to facilitate the development of national and international awareness and understanding of the underlying concepts. The Task Group also helps to understand and recognize the various types of geosites (educative, recreative, protective ) around the world and to promote in developing countries the will to develop their own geoheritage. The Task Group works mainly through modern means of communication including discussions, meetings and information exchange via and teleconferences, although some meetings may be required from time to time to anchor some decisions. Consequently, this group will function at little cost to IUGS and member organizations. Three main objectives address: 1- To develop an inventory of geoheritage sites. The large majority of these sites are isolated (a quarry, a single outcrop) and probably will never belong to any kind of geopark but they are valuable for education and for testimony of the history of the earth. Several organizations (national, disciplinary i.e. palaeontologists) are working or have the will to work on them. Their list and content should be available from any computer. 2- To compile the regulations on trade of ex-situ objects (fossils, mineral, meteorites) existing in different countries, which are usually difficult to obtain. The availability of this information on a website would be of a great help to geologist and other kind of people who have to deal with that matter (customs, ). 3- To provide a single point of reference and coordination for the current diverse and disparate activities in geoheritage being undertaken by the Union. 18/02/2013 New document page 263

2 This GTG is almost three years old (November 2010) - Members Prof. Patrick DE WEVER (France) Chairman Prof. Carmen HIDALGO (Spain) Prof. Jacques CHARVET, VP IUGS, deleg. European Geoparks Network (France) Mr. Colin SIMPSON, Councilor IUGS, delegate to UNESCO GGN Board (Australia) Prof. Ezzoura ERRAMI, IUGS councillor, contact with the African geoheritage Wesley HILL, IUGS councillor, contact with IUCN for the UNESCO world heritage Prof. Jose BRILHA, (Portugal, Editor in Chief GeoHeritage, President of ProGeo) Dr. Enrique DIAZ-MARTINEZ (Spain national ProGEO representativ, VP ProGEO) Dr. Luca DEMICHELI (Italy, EuroGeoSurveys) Pr. Zhao Xun (China, IUGS Beijing Office for GeoHeritage) The members of this committee will have to change according the change of IUGS officers and evolution of interests (foresee changes in italic letters). Beside these changes new members are candidate to join this group : such as : - Dr. Marten Geertsema, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations 1044 Fifth Avenue 5th Floor, Prince George BC V2L - Dr. Patrick McKeever, UNESCO, Chief of Section, Global Earth Observation, SC/EES/GEO, B5.08 / some others are in discussion from Belgium - Activities Besides some action on Geoheritage properly, we joined other organisation dealing with Geoheritage at local, national and international level. That is why we participate to several meetings in Europe and Africa. IGC Brisbane august (August) The Theme 1 of the scientific programme was called Geoscience for Society. This theme encompasses the roles of the geosciences in decisions and approaches that are of wide public interest, including geological heritage and geotourism; geoscience underpinning conservation; geoscience education; communicating geoscience to the public; museum collections; forensic geoscience; and gemstones. And particularly the Symposia 11 called Geoheritage, geoparks and geotourism. This Symposium examined the importance and diversity of geoheritage. Key topics included the identification and quantification of geoheritage, geodiversity and geosites, the significance of geoconservation, UNESCO s geoparks, as well as the growth of géotourisme. Several members of the GTG were present, but not the chairman (for health reasons). Lagerstätte de Montceau-les-Mines & site stratotypique de Muse Autun, septembre 2012, Muséum d Histoire naturelle d Autun 18/02/2013 New document page 264

3 This meeting gathered more than 50 persons, mainly from western Europe, dealt with extraordinary sites (Lagerstatten) and with the protection of Stratotypes. - IUGS ProGEO- Geoheritage: Protecting and Sharing (September) 7th International Symposium ProGEO on the Conservation of the Geological Heritage : Geoheritage : protecting and Sharing 3rd Regional Meeting of the PROGEO SW Europe Working Group Bari, Italy September 2012 During this International Symposium on the Conservation of the Geological Heritage. People (professionals, academics, students) dealing with nature conservation, geotourism, geoparks, education, management, sustainable development, planning and decision-making, and other topics related to the theme of "geoheritage" were invited to participate. Copy of the WEB frontpage (IUGS is clearly identified) As shown on the WEB front page, the meeting was under the auspices of the IUGS/GTG Circa 150 participants from different countries. 18/02/2013 New document page 265

4 Forum Geoheritage, Geoconservation & Geotourism (15/11/2012) This Contact Forum Geoheritage, Geoconservation & Geotourism was (15/11/2012) supported by the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts Nationaal Comité van Geologische Wetenschappen. This one day meeting gathered ca 70 persones from Nederland, Belgium, France, Luxemaburg and Germany mainly. It represents a geoscientific state of the art, 20 years after a first initiative organised by the Belgian Luxembourg Union of Geoscientists (BLUG/UBLG) as a first step to launch protection and promotion of geoheritage alongside its archaeological, biological and cultural - Inventory and geoheritage in France (Digne-les-Bains, October) IUGS-GTG is a member of the official organisation. This meeting was devoted to offer a general overview of the state of the art for inventories in Europe. It has been an opportunity to present the renewing of the IUGS Geosites database. It appears necessary, before publishing geosites, to check if the inventories were conducted on comparable bases. 18/02/2013 New document page 266

5 The meeting gathered ca 120 people from academic world and from private companies as well as from administration (mainly from Europe, few from Africa and America). Arouca 11TH EUROPEAN GEOPARKS CONFERENCE September 2012 Arouca Geopark, Portugal IUGS-GTG is a member of the official organisation. The aims was to reflect about the Geoparks Network progress; to contribute for the smart, sustainable and inclusive growth of the Geoparks; to share good experiences on Education Programs and Projects; to consolidate the Geoparks as territories of excellence for Geotourism; to exchange new trends on geoconservation strategies; to present new public and private investments in Geoparks. - Data base for regulations on geoheritage : As it was proposed in the Term of reference, we began to set up a database dealing with the regulations occurring in different countries. At the moment we succeeded to get regulations, besides those of UNESCO, for about ten of countries. They are reported on the website : Countries with information on regulations are colored. A click on the country open a page with the laws and regulations 18/02/2013 New document page 267

6 General web page for regulation These WEB pages are still not in their definitive format, but they are on the way Geosite databse The GEOSITES programme was evoked by IUGS in 1994 and truly launched one or two years later (according to what is considered as the real beginning). This project involves the geological community in geoheritage : its aim to provide a factual basis (inventory and data set) to support any national or international initiative to promote outreach and/or protect the geological resource, our resource for research and education. Its aims are not executive, but are designed to mesh with national and geocommunity initiatives and addressed the issue of how best to represent the diversity and richness of our key geoscience sites. 18/02/2013 New document page 268

7 In 1995, IUGS and subsequently with the support of UNESCO, promoted the project to compile a global inventory, and related database. The president of IUGS wrote in 1996 to all national committees and affiliated bodies to enlist their support for the project. IUGS s Global Geosites Working Group (GGWG) had the following published terms of reference : 1) To compile the Global Geosites list, 2) To construct the Geosites database of key sites and terrains, 3) To use the Geosites inventory to further the cause of geoconservation and thus support geological science in all its forms, 4) To support regional and or national initiatives aiming to compile comparative inventories, 5) To participate in and support meetings and workshops that examine site selection criteria, selection methods or conservation of key sites, 6) To assess the scientific merits of sites in collaboration with specialists, research groups, associations, commissions, subcommissions etc. 7) To advise IUGS and UNESCO on the priorities for conservation in the global context, including World Heritage. This task was undergone in connexion with ProGEO, but for some reasons it ended in ca This is the reason why the present GTG was established. Geoheritage is an international responsibility. All geologists and related professionals, and all organisations, have a part to play in protecting this heritage. Geosites and geology are not confined by national borders; geology crosses them. Also, the best sites have regional and often even global significance, and sites in such areas have importance and relevance for all. The objective of GEOSITES is to display an international list of the most important sites for geological science. A list of 310 sites were more or less documented (but only 120 with geographic coordinates). We succeeded to get the list one year ago. Since then we put our effort on the public accessibility of this information. The documented sites (with geographic coordinates) were reported on a Google map see figures). We search the coordinates for other (without the coordinates). They are now almost all available as well. 18/02/2013 New document page 269

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9 BUDGET 6000 US$ were devoted to GTG by IUGS for This amount correspond to euros (received april 2012) Expanses 2012 Bari meeting Travel G. Egorof 354 Digne meeting Travel Ezzoura Errami 573 Overhead 153 Salaries (for WEB site) 3436, ,54 euros 4- Plan action for Regulation DB : To compile the regulations on trade of ex-situ objects (fossils, mineral, meteorites) existing in different countries, which are usually difficult to obtain. The availability of this information on a website would be of a great help to geologist and other kind of people who have to deal with that matter (customs, ) Acting as an oily mark we will try to extend our contacts for regulation (more complete infos for each country and more countries involved (specifically trying to get answers from English-speaking countries) and set up a more appropriate presentation of the database presenting (continued) Geosites database 18/02/2013 New document page 271

10 The large majority of these sites are isolated (a quarry, a single outcrop) and probably will never belong to any kind of geopark but they are valuable for education and for testimony of the history of the earth. (continued) Future meetings : IUGS Meeting We will take the opportunity that people come to the general IUGS meeting (Paris February) to gather the members in a specific meeting to know each other and decide the future actions plans. 8Th IAG The 8th International Conference on Geomorphology of the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) will take place in Paris at the Cité des Sciences de La Villette from August 27 to 31, The main topic of this 8th Conference is Geomorphology and Sustainability. This Conference will include 26 scientific sessions, among which: Geoconservation, geotourism and education including: S15A - Anthropogenic drivers of cultural stone deterioration and conservation S15B - Geomorphosites (IAG-WG) including geoparks and WHS S15C - Managing landscape dynamics in protected areas S15D - Teaching and disseminating geomorphology 44- Budget 2012 : Budget 1- Meeting IUIGS Paris 1100 (for those not belonging to IUGS board) 3- Running costs, overhead, housing, management of database Temporary Job internship 4600 Total 6700 Patrick De Wever 18/02/2013 New document page 272