Outside Geomorphosites

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of geomorphological conservation outside protected areas and in particular outside geomorphological heritage sites (geomorphosites). It is argued that, especially in ordinary territories, the protection (if any) of interesting geomorphological features is often inadequate and would benefit from specific approaches. One such approach is proposed, based on a more extensive use of methods originally developed for assessing the value of geomorphosites. These methods involve considering a number of relevant characteristics of a site — from its scientific importance to its cultural significance — that are usually evaluated separately and assigned qualitative scores that are then weighted and summed to obtain the site overall value. Geomorphosites are landforms of particular importance, but the assumption underlying this paper is that every landform has a value that should be acknowledged, can be ranked on a qualitative scale using the methods mentioned above and must be taken into account — first of all during the development of land use plans — in order to decide whether and how to protect the geomorphological features of an area. An application of the presented approach to a section of the alluvial plain of the River Po — in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy — is discussed. Finally, the notion of an ‘exclusion approach’ to geomorphological conservation is put forward.