Geotourism and Local Development in Rural Areas: Geomorphosites as Geotouristic Resources in Sierras de la Paramera y Serrota, Spain

Geomorphosites include all those places of abiotic heritage that are important for understanding the Earth’s history, with a landscape and territorial component. These places may not have high scientific value at an international, national, or regional scale, but they hold local value due to their connection to the territory, environmental and cultural legacy, and their link to the populations that inhabit them, especially in Natural Protected Areas (NPAs) where there is already recognition of natural heritage but not geomorphological heritage. The first objective of this work was the recognition of geomorphological heritage, for which an inventory of geomorphosites in the NPA Sierras de la Paramera and la Serrota was developed. The potential of these sites is currently diminished by the lack of recognition of geotourism, with no proper integration of geomorphosites in the planning of NPAs in Spain, particularly in Castilla y León, where the study area was located. This work proposes a methodology for evaluating the potential use of the inventoried geomorphosites, focused on their geotourism potential, to enable the development of a geotourism offering that promotes the dissemination of geomorphological heritage and the development of tourism infrastructure, benefiting the local population and ensuring the survival and use of this cultural service. In the Sierras de la Paramera and la Serrota, 12 geomorphosites were inventoried with medium to high value but lacking any tourism infrastructure. The next step is to evaluate their potential, study their geomorphological heritage, and carry out dissemination activities to enhance their value in this area.