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Twenty Years of Spanish Geoparks: Analysis and Future Prospects

Geoheritage volume 12, Article number: 87 (2020) Cite this article

Abstract

Considering the number of UNESCO Global Geoparks, Spain is the second country in the world and the first country in Europe. This paper describes the historical development and the current reality of Spanish Geoparks with a geographical, geological, administrative and sociological analysis and explains the main reasons that have contributed to the successful spread of Spanish UNESCO Global Geoparks. This analysis describes also the main challenges for the future and introduces a fundamental question that will have to be discussed in many countries with an important number of Geoparks: the criteria to define a sustainable number of UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) at the national level. The representativeness of the national geological main features and its geological heritage in UGGp is one the main factors that can contribute to defining a well-balanced and impartial strategy for a sustainable growth. Thus, the relevance of a national geosite inventory rises up as one of the important tools to organize a coherent national distribution and to help on the definition of the boundaries of UGGp.

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All data and material is public and free of use.

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to acknowledge to the Spanish UNESCO Geoparks for the information provided. This study is part of the PEPNB 2012-2017 Project of the Spanish Geological Survey (IGME). The authors want also to acknowledge the two anonymous reviewers who have improve the original text.

Funding

This study is supported by the Basque Coast UNESCO Global Geopark and Spanish Geological Survey (IGME).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Basque Coast UNESCO Global Geopark, Ifar Kalea 4, 20820, Deba, Spain

    Asier Hilario Orús

  2. Spanish Geological Survey (IGME), Madrid, Spain

    Luis Carcavilla Urquí

Authors
  1. Asier Hilario Orús
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  2. Luis Carcavilla Urquí
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Asier Hilario Orús.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Orús, A.H., Urquí, L.C. Twenty Years of Spanish Geoparks: Analysis and Future Prospects. Geoheritage 12, 87 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-020-00510-2

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