Integrating geoheritage into the management of protected areas: A case study of the Itatiaia National Park, Brazil

Abstract

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has created many initiatives to integrate geodiversity and geoheritage into the management of protected areas through a broader concept of nature. However, many protected areas do not have an inventory of geological sites. In view of this fact, this study aims to discuss the inventory of geological sites (including geomorphological, hydrological, petrological, sedimentological, and structural sites) and analyse, through a case study, how geodiversity is described in an existing management plan, prepared before IUCN included geoconservation in the Manual for the Management of Protected Areas. This study was conducted in the Itatiaia National Park, which has outstanding geomorphological and other geological features. To ensure appropriate assessment of geological sites, we carried out an inventory of geological sites and then we analysed how the management plan addressed geodiversity. The inventory includes 17 geosites (distributed in six geological frameworks), seven geodiversity sites and three viewpoints. We concluded that although geodiversity is mentioned in the plan, the inventory of geological sites would facilitate and support the exploration of management possibilities that range from conservation to education. Therefore, we recommend the inclusion of the inventoried sites in the management plan of protected areas because it is a valuable tool for the proper conservation and management of geoheritage.

Keywords

• assessment
• geoconservation
• geodiversity
• geological sites
• inventory
• management plan