Conservation and Education in Spanish Geoparks: Exploratory Analysis of Land Stewardship Experiences and Valuation Proposal through Outdoor Education
Fecha
2023-09-13Estado
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. : Advances in research on environmental problems and public awareness of them have led
to renewed concern about the need to establish mechanisms and figures to protect and manage sites
so that geoecological processes remain outside the dynamics of anthropic occupation. This research
has been approached from an inductive and qualitative perspective based on case studies to examine
the articulation of the Spanish geoparks, their dynamics, and the experiences of private valorization
in them. Geological heritage is seen as a lever for the promotion of the territory. In all cases, although
the geological–geomorphological–paleontological–environmental resources must be significant, this
designation aims to enhance the value of all assets, both natural and cultural, conceiving the geopark
not as a figure of environmental protection but as a “figure to promote local development”. A total of
48 land stewardship initiatives were identified in 11 of the 15 Spanish geoparks. The most significant
presence of initiatives was found in the geoparks of Catalonia, followed by the Lanzarote Geopark. No
nature-based schools are located within geoparks, except for Wild Me in Central Catalonia. However,
the presence of nature-based schools in biosphere reserves (BRs) seems to be more common. Framing
alternative proposals, such as nature-based schools in these areas and using land stewardship in
their operation, can become an opportunity to protect a region’s geological and cultural heritage and
improve local communities’ quality of life through sustainable and responsible economic and tourism
activities. Early-years education in the natural environment facilitates the acquisition of long-term
pro-environmental skills, competencies, and behaviors that last into adulthood and act as multipliers
for others.
Conservation and Education in Spanish Geoparks: Exploratory Analysis of Land Stewardship Experiences and Valuation Proposal through Outdoor Education
Tipo de Actividad
Artículos en revistasISSN
2076-3263Palabras Clave
.Spanish geoparks; land stewardship; outdoor education; forest kindergartens; territorial development