New approaches to communication and education through geoheritage

Abstract

Communicating geoheritage is one of the most active areas for new ideas to support a long-term relationship with visitors and a broader digital community of supporters. Communicating the geoheritage of protected areas to the world community encompasses wishing, planning, travelling, arriving, visiting, leaving, remembering and above all sharing the experience. Interpretive tools form the core of communication methods, and these can be generalized as needed for each aspect of the experience.Geoheritage in protected areas is a highly effective tool for science and nature education. There are many best practice examples provided in this review paper, ranging from education of the very young through “junior ranger” programs, to school students, and extending to research-oriented education in geoheritage and to education of managers and workers in the field of protected area management. Traditional geoscience education comes late in many school programs; protected areas offer the advantage of engaging visitors when they are very young and providing space for continued exploration and education in the field.There are many ways of communicating with people who are visiting protected areas or who are looking at a distance from the traditional to the most innovative social media platforms. And there are many different objectives of communication, such as education and knowledge transfer and provision of visitor information. The choice depends on the nature and characteristics of the target audience and their flexibility. Keywords: Geoheritage, Communication, Interpretation, Education