Territorial upgrading through geoheritage management and enhancement in the Emilia Apennines (Italy)

Geotourism, as a form of sustainable tourism, promotes the conservation of geodiversity by spreading knowledge in Earth Science and through appreciation of geological features among the general public. Moreover, geotourism support regional economic development of those communities living and working around sites of geological and geomorphological interest. On the one hand, legal protection of geosites can play a crucial role in geodiversity conservation, on the other, education is fundamental to increase people awareness on the importance of geological and geomorphological heritage. Non-formal learning activities based on geoheritage interpretation can be useful tools to attract interest on the need of geoheritage management and conservation. Starting from these premises, this paper presents the outputs of research carried out in the Municipality of Castellarano (Emilia Apennines, Northern Italy). This area hosts valuable natural features (including geological and geomorphological ones) which are however neglected even by local people. For the valorisation of these areas, territorial plans based on geoheritage management and sustainable exploitation have been implemented in close collaboration with local administrations and stakeholders. Territorial resources and restrictions, geological hazards, as well as inputs from the local communities, have been considered in planning the upgrading of these areas. In particular, a Masterplan aimed at the environmental rehabilitation of dismissed quarries located within the Municipality was designed with specific attention to the recognition and assessment of sites of geological interest located in the surroundings. Multidisciplinary investigations concerning the main geological, vegetational and faunistic aspects were carried out and, considering the results attained, proposals of territorial upgrading have been developed by taking into account also appraisal measures for geotourism and recreational purposes. In the Municipality, another area calling for territorial upgrading interventions was a fluvial stretch of a cycle-pedestrian path characterized by valuable geological and geomorphological features but not well known by the general public. In this area non-formal learning activities based on geoheritage interpretation have been implemented. In particular, three geosites of regional significance located along the cycle-pedestrian path were considered for the creation of EarthCaches, interpretative panels and guided excursions. Different types of target public including general visitors and geotourists were considered. Interpretative contents were designed to be educational, providing accurate but non-technical explanations on the geological and geomorphological features of the sites. Illustrations helping in visualization and conceptualization of the scientific information and schematization of landscape features were included. Cultural and historical aspects were also considered with the purpose of integrating them with geoheritage information. The effectiveness of the territorial upgrading measures has been tested through feedbacks received from local administrations, directly with field surveys, in the frameworks of guided excursions, as well as by considering the EarthCache logs. The results revealed that the implemented measures are effective contributions for raising public awareness on the value of geodiversity and interest in the valuable geological and geomorphological features of the area.