Abstract
Geoconservation is a fairly recent matter in France in the wider scope of nature conservation, although its origins date back to the mid-nineteenth century with the first protected areas including sandstone block fields in the Fontainebleau forest. The recognition and protection of geoheritage are today integrated in French environmental policies, and specific legal and management tools have been created to conserve geological and geomorphological features. The aim of this paper is to propose a brief history of geoconservation in France and to present the recent national policies and current tools aiming to protect geoheritage. From a historical perspective, the role of artistic and scientific personalities as well as the influence of associations and learned societies (late nineteenth–early twentieth century) in the initiation of a geoconservation movement are underlined. However, the key policies and strategies favouring geoheritage protection in France come in the late twentieth–early twenty-first century. The 2002 Act on Local Democracy, which institutes the National Inventory of Geological Heritage and renews the legal framework of nature protection in France, is considered as a decisive step towards a comprehensive strategy fostering the conservation of geoheritage. Many key stakeholders are involved in the implementation of geoconservation strategies in the territories, from the national to the regional and local levels. As a result of the different environmental policies and strategies, a composite geoconservation toolbox is today available to protect the varied geoheritage of France. Among these tools, a special attention is paid to ex situ geoconservation in museums and scientific collections, and to educational activities within the French network of UNESCO Global Geoparks and other labelled territories. A discussion opens on the integration of the French geoheritage into different initiatives of international organisations, including the ongoing IUGS Global Geosites programme and the future IUCN initiative on Key Geoheritage Areas (KGA).
Similar content being viewed by others
Change history
30 May 2023
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-023-00850-9
References
Auberger E, Gély JP, Merle D (2018) New regulatory tool for the conservation of the geological heritage in France: the Prefectural Decree of the Protection of the Geotope (APPG). Application and feedback in the Yvelines department (Paris basin, Île-de-France). BSGF Earth Sci Bull 189:1–17
Avoine J, Jonin M (2010) Réserves naturelles et patrimoine géologique. Géol Fr 1:1–17
Bert D, Bousquet V, Guiomar M, Bariani F, Hippolyte JC, Bromblet P, Garciaz JL, Fleury J, Mathieu P, Pagès JS, Tardieu P, Dupuis-Caillot M, Leong K, Faure E (2022) The geotouristic project “the Geological Adventure” to the rescue of an iconic world heritage geosite, the ammonites slab of Digne-les-Bains (National Geological Nature Reserve of Haute-Provence and Unesco Global Geopark, France). Geoheritage 14:101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-022-00739-z
Bétard F, Aubron I, Hoblea F, Portal C, Cayla N, Giusti C, Poiraud A (2023) Protection de la nature abiotique et géoconservation en France: évolutions du droit et des pratiques du XIXe siècle à nos jours. In: Beau R, Luglia R, Treillard A (eds) De la réserve intégrale à la nature ordinaire. Presses Universitaires de Rennes, Les figures changeantes de la protection de la nature (XIXe-XXIe siècle), pp 217–230
Billet Ph (2002) La protection du patrimoine géologique. Guide juridique. MEDD/ RNF/ATEN, Coll. Droit et police de la nature, Cahiers techniques no 67
Bourdeau PH, Decamp E, Majastre J-O, Vizioz O (1992) Le Mont Aiguille et son double, Grenoble, Presses Universitaires de Grenoble, Collection “Empreinte du Temps”
Brancucci G, Gisotti G, Zarlenga F (2012) Italy. In: Wimbledon WA, Smith-Meyer S (eds) Geoheritage in Europe and its conservation, vol 405. ProGEO, Oslo, pp 137–147
Brilha J (2009) Geological heritage and geoconservation in Portugal. In: Neto de Carvalho C, Rodrigues J (eds) Proceedings of the VIII European Geoparks Conference, Idanha-a-Nova, 14–16 September 2009, pp 31–35
Brocx M, Semeniuk V (2007) Geoheritage and geoconservation-history, definition, scope and scale. J R Soc West Aust 90:53–87
Carcavilla L, Durán JJ, García-Cortés Á, López-Martínez J (2009) Geological heritage and geoconservation in Spain: past, present, and future. Geoheritage 1(2):75–91
Crofts R, Tormey D, Gordon JE (2021) Introducing new guidelines on geoheritage conservation in protected and conserved areas. Geoheritage 13(2):33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-021-00552-0
Crofts R, Gordon JE, Brilha J, Gray M, Gunn J, Larwood J, Santucci VL, Tormey D, Worboys GL (2020) Guidelines for geoconservation in protected areas. Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 31. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2020.PAG.31.en
De Wever P, Le Nechet Y, Cornée A (2006) Vade-mecum pour l’inventaire national du patrimoine géologique. Mémoire Hors-Série De La Société Géologique De France 12:1–162
De Wever P, Egoroff G, Cornée A, Lalanne A (2014) Géopatrimoine en France. Mémoire Hors-Série De La Société Géologique De France 14:1–180
De Wever P, Alterio I, Egoroff G, Cornée A, Bobrowsky P, Collin G, Duranthon F, Hill W, Lalanne A, Page K (2015) Geoheritage, a national inventory in France. Geoheritage 7(3):205–247
Delunel R, Hantz D, Braucher R, Bourlès DL, Schoeneich P, Deparis J (2010) Surface exposure dating and geophysical prospecting of the Holocene Lauvitel rock slide (French Alps). Landslides 7:393–400
Erikstad L (2008) History of geoconservation in Europe. Geol Soc London Spec Publ 300(1):249–256
Gély JP, Obert D, Souffaché B, Viré M (2022) Défense et protection des sites souterrains à haute valeur patrimoniale : le cas de Paris et de sa proche banlieue. Naturae 11:205–211. https://doi.org/10.5852/naturae2022a11
Gillieson D, Gunn J, Auler A, Bolger T (2022) Guidelines for cave and karst protection: second edition. IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), Working Group on Cave and Karst Protection, International Union of Speleology (UIS). https://uis-speleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/UIS-Guidelines-for-Cave-and-Karst-Protection-2nd-ed-electronic-v6.pdf
Guiomar M (2013) Patrimoine géologique : conservation et valorisation in situ des fossiles. Trente années d’expérimentation en Haute-Provence. CeROArt [En ligne], HS. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/ceroart/3485
IUGS (2022) The first IUGS geological heritage sites. IUGS/IGCP, October 2022. https://iugs-geoheritage.org/videos-pdfs/iugs_first_100_book_v2.pdf
Jonin M (2008) Géodiversité en Bretagne : un patrimoine remarquable. Mèze, Biotope, Coll. Cahiers naturalistes de Bretagne
Jonin M, Avoine J (2010) Sites classés et patrimoine géologique. Géol Fr 1:19–23
Martel EA (1902) Un parc national. Revue Du Touring Club De France 5:197–198
Martel EA (1913) La question des parcs nationaux en France. Comment et pourquoi créer les parcs nationaux. La Montagne. Revue Mensuelle Du Club Alpin Français 8:433–457
Martini G, Zouros N (2009) Geoparks… a vision for the future. Revista Do Instituto De Geociências-USP 5:85–90
Mc Keever PJ, Narbonne GM (2021) Geological World Heritage: a revised global framework for the application of criterion (viii) of the World Heritage Convention. Gland Switzerland IUCN. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.12.en
Pacaud G (1990) Muséums. Administration, personnel, financement. La Lettre de l’OCIM Supplément 12:15–18
Péquignot A (2016) Les muséums et les collections d’histoire naturelle : patrimonialisation et nouveaux défis pour le XXIe siècle. In Situ 30. https://doi.org/10.4000/insitu.13871
Poiraud A, Dandurand G (2017) De la géoconservation au géotourisme: un glissement de paradigme. Annales De Géographie 717(5):625–653
Portal C, Aubron I (2022) Géoparcs et parcs naturels régionaux. Pour 243(2):305–311
Prosser CD (2013) Our rich and varied geoconservation portfolio: the foundation for the future. Proc Geol Assoc 124(4):568–580
Prosser CD, Murphy M, Larwood J (2006) Geological conservation: a guide to good practice. English Nature, Peterborough
Prosser CD (2008) The history of geoconservation in England: legislative and policy milestones. In: Burek CV, Prosser CD (eds) The history of geoconservation, The Geological Society, Special Publications 300, London, pp 113–122
Rainette C (en collaboration et sous la direction scientifique de Cornu M et Wallaert C) (2008) Guide juridique sur le patrimoine scientifique et technique. Collection Droit du patrimoine culturel et technique, L’Harmattan Ed
Rouget I, Egoroff G, de Kermadec C (2021) Feedback on twelve years work on the national geoheritage inventory in France: results and advances for geosite protection. X International Online ProGEO Symposium, June 2021, Visioconférence, Spain
Sharples C (1995) Geoconservation in forest management - principles and procedures. Tasforests 7:37–50
Wimbledon WAP (1996) Geosites - a new conservation initiative. Episodes 19(3):87–88
Woo KS, Ju SO, Brilha J (2018) Key Geoheritage Area: a potential new programme in IUCN for geoheritage conservation. Proceedings of the IX ProGEO Symposium “Geoheritage and Conservation: Modern Approaches and Applications. Towards the 2030 Agenda”, Chęciny, Poland, 25–28th June 2018: 20
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
The original online version of this article was revised: In this article the graphics relating to Figs. 4 and 5 captions had been interchanged; the figure(s) should have appeared as shown below.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Bétard, F., Rouget, I., Hobléa, F. et al. Geoconservation in France: History, Key Policies, and Current Tools. Geoheritage 15, 52 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-023-00824-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-023-00824-x