DU2-European geological heritage

6 From L to U terms

The following terms are included in the first chapter of the “GUIDE-INTERPRETER OF GEOTURISM” manual, created through EU ERASMUS Framework. Project name: GEOTUR: Validation and recognition of two competence units in geological tourism Project no. 2018-1-ES01-KA202-050397

Leave no trace LNT

This is one of the most used slogans in Protected Natural Spaces. It tries to convey to visitors the need to preserve reserved areas leaving no evidence of human presence. In reserved areas within certain North American National Parks, it is even a mandatory norm.

Preservation

refers to the maintenance of geodiversity and the natural value of a site.

Protection

Protection refers to a specific conservation technique aimed to provide legal status to a specific site or geological resource. It entails the design of a specific management plan based on the definition of a regime of use that generally derives in its declaration as Protected Natural Space.

Resilience

refers to the natural or internal capacity of a system to be recovered.

Restoration

is the recovery of reference conditions by mean of the human action. Restoration is the first step in the recovery of a place, which will be considered recovered when acceptable conditions are reached and continuous active interventions are no longer necessary, with independence that periodic maintenance could be needed.

UNESCO Global Geoparks

UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development. Their bottom-up approach of combining conservation with sustainable development while involving local communities is becoming increasingly popular.