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Geoheritage, Geoconservation and Geotourism in Switzerland

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Landscapes and Landforms of Switzerland

Part of the book series: World Geomorphological Landscapes ((WGLC))

Abstract

Switzerland has a rich and diversified geoheritage . It marks the origin of nature protection in Switzerland, with the earliest protected erratic boulders dating back to 1838. At present, however, the significance of the geological richness and geodiversity of the country is largely unknown in public and political circles. Due to the country’s federal structure, which assigns nature conservation to the cantons, geoconservation differs from one canton to the other. At the federal level, geosites are the only type of natural heritage that has not been inventoried in the framework of the Nature and Landscape Protection Act. Nevertheless, an inventory was conducted by the Swiss Academy of Sciences; it includes 322 geosites of national value and, despite its lack of a legal status, provides a basis for planning. Several cantons already have an active geoconservation policy, while others have been very passive so far. Many geosites also enjoy indirect protection through other forms of protection (biotope inventories, UNESCO World Heritage sites, etc.), but the geoparks programme is still undeveloped in Switzerland, with a national programme in place only since January 2020. No region was allowed to apply to be recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark until 2020. Geoheritage is often at the heart of the tourist offers proposed by Swiss tourist sites (glaciers, waterfalls, mountains, valleys and a variety of landscapes of geological origin) and geotourism products do exist (guided tours, panels, discovery trails, apps, etc.), but except in the three existing natural UNESCO World Heritage sites and in parks of national importance, the offers are fragmented.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Erica Baumann (Swiss Parks Network) for Fig. 29.5 and Lucie Darbellay for Fig. 29.6.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography and Sustainability and Interdisciplinary Centre for Mountain Research, Géopolis, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Emmanuel Reynard

  2. UNESCO-World Heritage Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, Städtchenstrasse 45, 7320, Sargans, Switzerland

    Thomas Buckingham

  3. Bureau Relief, Ch. des Oisillons 9, 1860, Aigle, Switzerland

    Simon Martin & Géraldine Regolini

Authors
  1. Emmanuel Reynard
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  2. Thomas Buckingham
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  3. Simon Martin
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  4. Géraldine Regolini
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Correspondence to Emmanuel Reynard .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography and Sustainability and Interdisciplinary Centre for Mountain Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Emmanuel Reynard

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Reynard, E., Buckingham, T., Martin, S., Regolini, G. (2021). Geoheritage, Geoconservation and Geotourism in Switzerland. In: Reynard, E. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of Switzerland. World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43203-4_29

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