Tourism crisis management in geoparks through geotourism development

The recent global financial crisis has negatively affected the tourism marketing as well as all sectors of the global economy. However, the crisis can create an opportunity for innovation in management and the emergence of new tourism products in tourism marketing. This study has two major purposes: 1) to introduce geotourism as a new niche tourism product for development of the local economy and 2) to investigate innovative strategies in geoparks, as geotourism destinations, for attracting more tourists to these territories. To this end, twenty five geopark strategies were analysed (20 in Europe and 3 in Asia – Malaysia, Japan and Iran, 1 in Australia and 1 in South America – Brazil). The results indicate that the authorities of geoparks try – on a small scale – to minimize the negative impacts of the crisis and develop the local economy by promoting geotourism and innovative strategies.A recente crise financeira mundial afetou negativamente a atividade turística do turismo, bem como todos os setores da economia global. No entanto, esta crise pode representar uma oportunidade para a inovação ao nível da gestão e para o surgimento de novos produtos turísticos. Este estudo tem dois objetivos principais: 1) introduzir o geoturismo como um novo nicho de mercado contribuindo para o desenvolvimento da economia local e 2) identificar estratégias inovadoras implementadas em geoparques, como destinos de geoturismo, com o objetivo para atrair mais turistas a esses territórios. Para este fim, foram analisadas as estratégias de vinte e cinco geoparques (20 na Europa e 3 na Ásia - Malásia, Japão e Irã, 1 na Austrália e 1 na América do Sul - Brasil). Os resultados indicam que os responsáveis pela gestão destes geoparques tentarm – em pequena escala - minimizar os impatos negativos da crise e desenvolver a economia local, atraés promoção do geoturismo e de estratégias inovadoras.publishe

Networks as an innovative approach in geoparks and geotourism

Geoparks as an innovation for the protection of natural and geological heritage play an important role in the development of geotourism and knowledge exchange. The European Geopark Network (EGN) and the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network (GGN) have introduced geotourism as a target for geopark creation, and they introduced the network concept to geotourism activities.Geoparks through network activities can encourage the small and medium-sized enterprises and local producers in geotourism. This paper aims at analysing network activity between geoparks and evaluating the connectivity rate of the Global Geoparks Network and the European Geoparks Network. To this end, nineteen geopark strategies were analysed (13 in Europe and 5 in Asia – China, Malaysia, Japan, and Iran- and 1 in Australia). It was concluded that UNESCO Global Geoparks Network and European Geoparks Network have concentrated their network activity on the area of meeting, conference, and exchange of knowledge. Moreover, authorities of geoparks attempt for development of tourism marketing in their territory

As mudanças no uso do solo e o risco de desertificação: O exemplo de Marrocos

The aim of this article is to analyse hydrological and erosive processes leading to soil degradation and desertification in the regions of Ksar El Kebir and Ben Slimane, Northern Morocco, regions that are suffering land use changes and important demographic pressures.Neste artigo analisam-se os processos hidrológicos e erosivos conducentes à degradação do solo e desertificação nas áreas de Ksar El Kebir (Alcácer Quibir) e Ben Slimane no Norte de Marrocos, áreas sujeitas a mudanças no uso do solo e a pressões demográficas significativas

Effectiveness of forest residue mulching in reducing post-fire runoff and erosion in a pine and a eucalypt plantation in north-central Portugal

Fire-enhanced runoff generation and erosion are an important concern in recently burnt areas worldwide but their mitigation has received little public and scientific attention in Portugal. The present study addressed this knowledge gap for the two principal fire-prone forest types in Portugal, testing the effectiveness of a type of mulch that is widely available in the study region but has been little utilized and poorly studied so far. For logistic reasons, two somewhat different forest residue mulches were tested in a eucalypt plantation (eucalypt chopped bark) and a nearby Maritime Pine stand (eucalypt logging slash). Arguably, however, more important differences between the two study sites were those in fire severity, resulting in an elevated litter cover prior to mulching at the pine site but not at the eucalypt site, and in experimental design, with eight bounded erosion plots of 16 m2 installed at the eucalypt site as opposed to only four at the pine site (due to its limited size). Mulching was applied four months after the wildfire and two months after installation of the plots. Rainfall, runoff and sediment and organic matter losses were measured on a 1- to 2-weekly basis. Mulching proved highly effective at the eucalypt site, on average reducing the runoff coefficient from 26 to 15% and sediment losses from 5.41 to 0.74 Mg ha− 1. This mulching effect was also statistically significant, albeit only for the more important runoff and erosion events, and corresponded to a significant role of litter cover in explaining the variation in runoff and erosion. At the pine site, by contrast, mulching had no obvious effect. In all probability, this was first and foremost due to the comparatively small amounts of runoff and sediments produced by the untreated pine plots (5% and 0.32 Mg ha− 1) and, as such, due to the extensive needle cast following a low severity fire.publishe

Hydrological Processes in Eucalypt and Pine Forested Headwater Catchments within Mediterranean Region

Mediterranean headwater catchments have experienced major land-use changes in recent centuries, namely characterized by afforestation with fast-growing tree species (e.g., pine and eucalyptus). This paper investigates differences in the hydrological response of two forested catchments with distinct Pinus pinaster Aiton (PIN) and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (EUC) covers over 6 hydrological years, from 2010 to 2016. The study was developed in paired catchments located in North–Central Portugal, under wet Mediterranean climate and schist bedrock. Based on rainfall and streamflow measurements, the hydrological responses were analyzed through the water-balance calculations, rainfall-runoff event analyses, and correlations between rainfall characteristics, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, overland flow, and land-cover parameters. The study period recorded a wide range of annual rainfall, between 984 and 2127 mm per years. The annual streamflow displayed greater inter-annual variation, from 208 to 1430 mm for PIN and from 217 to 1291 mm for EUC. The runoff coefficient was higher in the wettest years, with a maximum of 58% for PIN and 61% for EUC, and decreased substantially in the driest year, representing only 17% of the rainfall in PIN and 22% in EUC. Rainfall was predominant during the winter season (41%), followed by autumn (30%) and spring (24%). The streamflow displayed a seasonal behavior in both catchments, with higher runoff coefficient for EUC that for PIN. Half of the annual streamflow occurs during the winter, with the highest average runoff coefficient attained for EUC and PIN respectively being 68% and 64% of the rainfall amount. Annual evapotranspiration was relatively constant through the six years of study and showed higher average values in PIN (907 mm) than EUC (739 mm), highlighting the importance of forest type and showing that mature pine plantations lead to higher water consumption than eucalypt stands. Annual rainfall amount affects evapotranspiration rate (%), the percentage of ET increasing from 37% to 78% for PIN and from 34% to 73% for EUC between the wettest and the driest years, which raises concerns regarding the impact of climate changes on water availability in the mountain areas of the Mediterranean region

Organic micropollutants on river sediments from Rio de Janeiro State, Southeast Brazil Micro-poluentes orgânicos em sedimentos fluviais no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Sudeste do Brasil

The paper is a contribution for the knowledge upon concentrations and fate of different kinds of organic micropollutants in Tropical River system from a very industrialized region in Brazil. The presented data was obtained during three years of an International Research Project between Brazilian and Dutch institutions. The sediments were sampled at the Paraiba do Sul-Guandu river watershed, the most important watercourse of Rio de Janeiro state, where up 90 % of the population depends on its water for domestic uses. After extraction with non-polar solvents in a hot sohxlet device and clean up using chromatographic columns, three classes of organic micropollutants were analyzed: organochlorine insecticides (OCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The organochlorines, including the PCBs were scarcely present in the collected samples probably reflecting the restrictions of use of this class of compounds in the Brazilian market. However, the PAHs levels were high at the vicinity of a huge steelworks located in the city of Volta Redonda. This contamination is probably due to the massive use of coal in the above-cited metallurgical plant.<br>Este artigo pretende contribuir para o conhecimento sobre a concentração e destino de diferentes tipos de micro-poluentes num sistema fluvial tropical de uma região brasileira altamente industrializada. Os dados apresentados foram obtidos ao longo de três anos, como parte de um projeto de pesquisa internacional envolvendo instituições brasileiras e holandesas. As amostras de sedimentos foram obtidas da bacia hidrográfica Paraíba do Sul/Guandu, a mais importante hidrovia no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, onde 90% da população depende dessa água para uso doméstico. Após extração com solventes não-polares num dispositivo sohxlet quente, e limpeza utilizando colunas cromatográficas, foram analisadas três classes de micro-poluentes orgânicos: inseticidas organoclorados (OCs), bifenis policlorados (PCBs) e outros hidrocarbonetos polinucleares (PAHs). Os organoclorados, inclusive os PCBs, estavam presentes em quantidades muito reduzidas nas amostras, provavelmente refletindo as restrições contra o uso dessa classe de compostos no mercado brasileiro. Entretanto, os PAHs mostravam níveis elevados ao redor de uma grande indústria siderúrgica na cidade de Volta Redonda. Tal contaminação deve-se, provavelmente, ao uso maciço de carvão nesta fábrica

Geo-knowledge management and geoconservation via geoparks and geotourism

A geopark as a new tourism destination contains a number of geological heritage sites. Geoparks as an innovation for the protection of natural and geological heritage are a network of sites for the transfer of Earth knowledge and the popularisation of geosciences. Moreover, geoparks play an important role in rural development through local involvement in geopark and geotourism activities. This paper discusses the role played by geoparks in the conservation and geo-knowledge management. To this end, 25 geopark strategies were analysed (20 in Europe and three in Asia: Malaysia, Japan and Iran; one in Australia and one in South America: Brazil). The results indicate that finding, introducing and establishing geosites are the first steps for geopark creation. Furthermore, involving local communities in the conservation of geoparks and providing educational projects are key factors in the knowledge management and preservation of geoparks as new tourist attractions

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved