Work

Assessment of forest fires impacts on geoheritage: A study in the Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark, Portugal

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: A methodology to assess the risk of degradation of geosites is proposed and represents a first attempt to identify possible impacts of forest fires on geoheritage with a practical approach. The methodology was applied to Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark geoheritage, Portugal, where a forest fire covering a total area of 24,334 hectares in August 2022 affected about 15% of the geosites (22 out of 147), including geosites with high scientific value, such as the Zêzere Glacial Valley. 20 geosites were selected (8 geosites affected by fire and 12 not affected) and assessed by using a methodology that considers vulnerability and hazard. The vulnerability numerical assessment was performed considering two criteria: geosite value and educational and touristic uses. Parameters and indicators were assigned to each criterion along with guidelines to support how to assess each indicator. Data on forest fires hazard were obtained from the Portuguese Institute Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), with the degradation risk resulting from the combination between vulnerability and hazard. The maximum value of vulnerability obtained is "low", without significant loss of scientific value, although with impacts on associated values (cultural, scenic, ecological) and educational and touristic uses observed in most of the geosites. The 20 selected geosites were delimited and different levels of degradation risk were observed within each geosite limits. The "medium" degradation risk class was the highest identified showing that the geoheritage in the study area (mostly large granite and glacial landforms) is less likely to be destroyed by forest fires. The results obtained can help address proper management procedures in the Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark, and the proposed methodology can be a useful tool to be applied to other areas and contexts, contributing to the discussions on geoheritage mapping and degradation risk assessment.

Source: International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijgeop.2024.11.005

Authors: Jéssica Gonçalves, Emanuel de Castro, Fábio Loureiro, Paulo Pereira

Institution: University of Minho

Language: English

Topic: Geotourism and Geoheritage Conservation

Subfield: Geology

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: European Commission, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Erasmus+