Scientific research on geomorphosites. A review of the activities of the IAG working group on geomorphosites over the last twelve years

Abstract

During the last two decades a renewed interest emerged in the scientific community for geoheritage, geoconservation and geotourism research. This was the reason for the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) for creating a specific working group (WG) on geomorphosites, that is the geomorphological part of geoheritage, in 2001. This paper reviews the main improvements made in the field of geomorphosite research during the period 2001-2012. A first domain of research concerned conceptual studies, in particular the definition of geomorphosites and the question of their value, as well as the links between geomorphological heritage and geodiversity. Some members of the WG also developed specific methods to assess geomorphosites and proposed guidelines for their mapping and the realisation of geoproducts. The work carried out during the last decade allows us to propose new perspectives, in particular on scale issues, the relationships between geoheritage and geodiversity assessment, the elaboration of guides of practices, and the integration with other disciplines (social and educational sciences, computer sciences, process geomorphology).