Geoheritage Degradation Risk Assessment: Methodologies and Insights

Vittoria Vandelli, Lidia Selmi, Francesco Faccini, Andrea Ferrando () and Paola Coratza
Additional contact information
Vittoria Vandelli: Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
Lidia Selmi: Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
Francesco Faccini: Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Corso Europa 27, 16144 Genoa, Italy
Andrea Ferrando: Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa, Corso Europa 27, 16144 Genoa, Italy
Paola Coratza: Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-20

Abstract: Over the past 25 years, geoconservation studies and interest in geoheritage have grown significantly. However, the assessment of degradation risks associated with geosites remains less explored. This aspect is crucial for the effective management and conservation of geosites, which face pressure from natural and human factors. In many countries, geosites are at risk of degradation or loss due to the lack of a systematic inventory and inadequate management. Therefore, evaluating and monitoring degradation risks is a priority for the scientific community. Common investigation schemes and approaches for recognizing and preventing threats to geosites are still lacking. This paper presents the first systematic literature review on degradation risk and related terms. Through an extensive search of widely used literature databases, 130 papers were selected and analyzed. The findings highlight a growing focus on quantitative approaches for the assessment of geoheritage degradation risk, with most research conducted at local scales, while identifying climate change as an underexplored yet critical factor. Future priorities include refining spatial and temporal scales, understanding degradation processes, and fostering global collaboration to improve conservation strategies.

Keywords: risk of degradation; geoheritage; threats to geosites; vulnerability; fragility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10336/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10336/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10336-:d:1529755

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().