VII International Symposium ProGEO on the Conservation of the Geological Heritage ‘Geoheritage: Protecting and Sharing’, Bari (Apulia, Italy), 24th to 28th September 2012

In recent years, many researchers interested in the geological and geomorphological features of the Earth’s surface have also begun to seriously consider the concept of geological heritage. This new interest also often extends to educating local communities and helping transfer this knowledge to the future generations.

For this reason and to achieve such goals, two fundamental steps are necessary for the future, firstly, to promote the conservation of geological sites, and secondly, to raise awareness of the resource represented by geodiversity. Within Europe, this process is developing in many countries as a number of regional and national administrations now recognise the importance of geological heritage.

The decision to organise the VII International Symposium ProGEO on the Conservation of the Geological Heritage in both the Apulia and Basilicata regions of Italy stems from an aspiration to demonstrate these areas as being of significant geological interest to experts in geoconservation worldwide. The symposium was organised by SIGEA (The Italian Society of Environmental Geology) and ProGEO (the European Association for the Conservation of the Geological Heritage).

As a title, Protecting and Sharing the Geological Heritage underlines the dualism in the work to protect (define, map, manage) and the general acceptance of this in that the geoheritage is a resource of experiences to share.

The meeting aimed to identify the most appropriate strategies for ensuring the conservation of the most important geosites and other features of geodiversity importance, as well as facilitating sharing of up-to-date information on research in geoconservation (e.g., on geosites assessment, classification, mapping, management, and legislation).

The symposium was structured with a plenary session and four thematic sessions on the following:

• 1. Geosites, to discuss recent developments in geodiversity assessment methodologies and geosites inventories in Europe and to discuss legal framework supporting geoconservation strategies

• 2. Geological heritage and land-use planning, to discuss land-use planning, threats and constraints and to promote the best practices and lessons learned in regional and local land-use planning

• 3. Geoparks and geotourism, to encourage a possible convergence between geoconservation and geotourism and to discuss sustainable management policies and geosites exploitation within geoparks

• 4. Cooperation and education, to improve international cooperation and local initiatives for the education and divulgation of science and to establish links between geoconservation specialists, in particular in the Mediterranean area

These scientific sessions were organised to facilitate dialogue amongst professional practitioners, administrators, researchers, and students dealing with geoconservation management, nature conservation, geotourism, geoeducation, land-use planning, and other topics related to the theme of the VII International Symposium ProGEO.

As a co-organiser, ProGEO announced a major achievement in its work. This was a complete updated overview of the geoconservation work in Europe now published in a book Geoheritage in Europe and its conservation available through the ProGEO website: www.progeo.se.

During the symposium in Bari (Apulia, Italy), key contributions were presented by Luca Demicheli (EuroGeoSurveys General Secretary) on boosting the EU economy within the geological tourism sector; Patrick De Wever (IUGS GeoHeritage Working Group Coordinator, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France) on the Geoheritage in France—from inventory to geotourism; Mario Panizza (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy) on geoheritage and geodiversity—concepts, methods, examples and management; Cristina Giovagnoli (ISPRA, Italy) on the ‘Geosites’ project—an inventory for promoting a better knowledge of Italian geological heritage; Lars Erikstad (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Norway) on geoconservation in land-use planning; Francesco Geremia (SIGEA, Italy) on the role of the Environmental Geology in the development of Geoconservation management strategies; Gian Vito Graziano (President of National Council of Geologists in Italy) on the evaluation of geological heritage—which opportunities for geologists; José Brilha (University of Minho, Portugal) on geoconservation education, research and outreach—the experience of the University of Minho and Alexandru Andresanu (University of Bucharest, Romania) on learning Earth sciences of the classroom.

Pre- and post-conference field trips were held in different areas of the Apulia and Basilicata regions to allow participants to observe landscapes belonging to different geological domains.

In total, around 140 participants registered and 90 papers (55 posters and 35 oral communications) were presented from across Europe, with a significant number from Italy, Portugal and Eastern Europe. In addition, a conference website was established (http://www.geoheritagesymposium-bari2012.org) and remains available for accessing additional information about the event.

The special volume of GEOHERITAGE contains some of the keyworks presented at the VII International Symposium ProGEO on the Conservation of the Geological Heritage congress.

We hope that these papers will help raise awareness of geosites of international and national interest, especially amongst the communities who live nearby, and encourage a more responsible attitude towards what nature has given us to be studied, safe-guarded and enhanced for future generations.