Methodological Proposal for Assessment Geosites: its Application in Bou-Iblane Region (Middle Atlas, Morocco)
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Methodological Proposal for Assessment Geosites: its Application in Bou-Iblane Region (Middle Atlas, Morocco) Khaoula Baadi 1
&
Abdellah Sabaoui 1 & Brahim Tekiout 1
Received: 19 November 2019 / Accepted: 29 May 2020 # The European Association for Conservation of the Geological Heritage 2020
Abstract In recent years, various studies have been conducted on inventory and assessment methodologies for geosites leading to the implementation of geoconservation actions worldwide. The main contribution of this methodological proposal is an objective quantification of the criteria used for the assessment of geosites according to values defined during its design. It is based on four main stages, namely the initial inventory, the quantitative assessment, the degree of deterioration, and the values of usage (optional step). The second and third steps of the method are marked with newly designed values which allow sites to be prioritized according to the weighting coefficients established for each criterion. Its application was carried out in the BouIblane region in the mountain chain of the Moroccan Middle Atlas. This made it possible to identify 11 geosites likely to be used out of a total of 56 inventoried geosites, including 1 with high potential and 10 with medium use potential. Forty-eight percent of the sites were filtered for the scientific assessment stage (27 sites out of 56), 27% of the sites were filtered for the degree of deterioration in order to retain only the least deteriorated (8 sites out of the 29 remaining), and 4.7% of the sites were filtered for the last step (1 of the remaining 21 sites). These results confirm the adaptation of the methodology to the region tested; the universality of its criteria suggests that its application is theoretically adaptable to all types of environments. Keywords Bou-Iblane . Geosites . Inventory . Methodology . Morocco . Quantitative assessment
Introduction In recent years, several studies have been conducted to develop a set of definitions of geoheritage, geodiversity, geosites, geomorphosites, geotourism, and geoconservation (Black and Gonggrijp 1990; Panizza and Piacente 1993; Brilha 2005; Gray 2008; Henriques et al. 2011; Dowling 2013; Brilha 2016). These studies were able to establish concepts framing these new definitions. The geosite assessment process is one of the elements treated as a priority in these various works. Different stages of the process are discussed: identification, classification, inventory, evaluation, protection, use and conservation of geosites. Most methods focus on the inventory and assessment of geosites or geomorphosites. The inventory should be based on * Khaoula Baadi [email protected] 1
Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
a well-structured methodology capable of avoiding errors in judgment and providing a clear and objective assessment of each site (Brilha 2016). These steps are based on scientific criteria as well as on secondary criteria which are combined and
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