GEOMORPHOLOGIE 3 FIN-2005:maquette_geomorpho

Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement, 2005, n° 3, p. 227-234
Assessment, protection, and promotion of geomorphological
and geological sites in the Aegean area, Greece
Évaluation, protection et promotion des sites
géomorphologiques et géologiques de la région égéenne,
Grèce
Nikolaus Zouros*
Abstract
The Aegean region is characterised by a high geodiversity due to its complex geological setting and to the related relief and landscape
features. A large number of geomorphological and geological sites with high potential for scientific, educational and tourist use, are
present. A first attempt to present an inventory of major geomorphological and geological sites showing a monumental character was
completed recently. Some of these sites, already protected, help in raising public awareness to the values of the geological heritage. The
Lesvos petrified forest is the first Greek geopark. A programme for assessing, protecting, and promoting the Lesvos island geosites has
been initiated, which includes a management plan and walking trails linking geomorphological and geological sites. The sites of
geomorphological interest along these itineraries provide opportunities to introduce visitors to several natural processes and have
become tourist attractions.
Key words: geomorphological sites, geological sites, geodiversity, assessment, management, geopark, Aegean area, Greece.
Résumé
La région de l’Egée est caractérisée par une importante diversité, due à sa structure géologique complexe et aux reliefs et paysages
variés qui lui sont associés. Dans cette région, un grand nombre de sites géomorphologiques et géologiques offrent un potentiel élevé
pour des usages scientifiques, éducatifs et touristiques. Le premier pas en vue de la création d’un inventaire des plus importants sites
géomorphologiques et géologiques ayant un caractère monumental a été achevé récemment. Certains de ces sites, qui sont d’ores et
déjà protégés, contribuent à renforcer la sensibilisation du public vis-à-vis de la valeur du patrimoine géologique. La forêt pétrifiée de
Lesvos constitue le premier géoparc grec dans lequel un programme d’évaluation, de protection et de mise en valeur des sites
géologiques a été développé. Ce dernier comprend un plan de gestion et la création de chemins qui, balisés pour la randonnée pédestre,
relient les principaux sites géomorphologiques et géologiques. Les sites d’intérêt géomorphologique qui sont identifiés le long des ces
chemins balisés favorisent la sensibilisation des visiteurs aux processus naturels et représentent aussi une attraction touristique.
Mots clés : sites géomorphologiques, sites géologiques, géodiversité, évaluation, gestion, géoparc, Egée, Grèce.
Version française abrégée
Malgré les efforts réalisés durant la dernière décennie à
propos de l’évaluation, de la protection et de la promotion
du patrimoine géologique et géomorphologique en Grèce,
l’absence d’un véritable inventaire national des géosites
d’intérêt naturel empêche l’inscription des éléments abiotiques dans les plans de protection de la nature mis en
oeuvre par l’État. Un premier inventaire a toutefois été
publié récemment (Velitzelos et al., 2003) : il regroupe
317 géosites au sein des îles égéennes, ainsi que la zône
côtière de la Grèce continentale, mais il est à ce jour
dépourvu de valeur légale. La publication de cet « Atlas des
monuments géologiques de l’Egée » constitue tout de même
le premier pas vers la reconnaissance de ces géosites par les
autorités locales, les habitants et par les visiteurs de cette
région (Velitzelos et al., 2003).
L’île de Lesvos, située au nord-est de la mer Egée, couvre
une surface de 1 630 km2. Le centre et l’ouest de l’île sont
constitués principalement de roches volcaniques d’âge néogène. Dans la partie occidentale de l’île, des centaines de
troncs, qui ont été recouverts et fossilisés lors des éruptions
volcaniques du Miocène inférieur, constituent la célèbre
Forêt pétrifiée de Lesvos (Velitzelos et Zouros, 2000). Ce
* Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, GR–81103, Greece. E-mail: [email protected]
Nikolaus Zouros
site est protégé par un décret présidentiel depuis 1985. Utilisant la même méthodologie mise en œuvre pour
l’inventaire de l’Egée, celui des 53 géosites de l’île de Lesvos a été réalisé et une carte a pu être dressée (fig. 1).
En parallèle, le premier géoparc de Grèce a été créé autour de la forêt pétrifiée de Lesvos. En 2000, ce géoparc a
été l’un des quatre premiers fondés dans le cadre du Réseau
européen des géoparcs (Zouros, 2004). L’expérience montre
que dans le cas de l’île de Lesvos, le géoparc de la Forêt pétrifiée constitue un instrument approprié pour identifier,
évaluer, protéger et promouvoir les géosites. Le géoparc a
en effet été l’occasion de développer des mesures visant à
protéger et à promouvoir les géosites inventoriés sur son
territoire. De telles mesures englobent : 1) l’entretien régulier et la protection des géosites contre les actes de vandalisme ; 2) la réalisation d’infrastructures de protection
contre l’altération et l’érosion des sites ; 3) la protection
particulière des géosites les plus vulnérables (en interdisant
leur accès, par exemple) ; 4) l’interprétation de tous les
géosites par le biais de panneaux d’information, de brochures et de guides d’excursions ; 5) l’organisation d’activités sur ces sites (programmes d’éducation, randonnées
guidées le long des sentiers reliant ces espaces protégés, activités récréatives liées à ces derniers, etc.). En ce sens, les
géoparcs sont conduits à devenir des lieux privilégiés pour
sensibiliser le public à la
valeur du patrimoine géologique et géomorphologique
et en assurer la protection
en même temps.
acter can be defined as natural monuments. Such sites, besides their scientific and educational importance, are areas of
natural beauty. Combining and promoting the geomorphological and geological heritage, together with the ecological
and cultural dimensions of a visit in the area, could undoubtedly offer numerous benefits for the development of
alternative forms of geotourism.
Although several attempts were made during the past
decade in order to draw up a national inventory of geosites,
no official inventory exists in Greece as yet. The first
attempt was made by the Greek Institute of Geology and
Mining Research (IGME) and a list of 50 geosites was submitted to the Ministry of Culture, but without further result.
In 1985, the first site, the Petrified forest of Lesvos, initially protected for its geological characteristics, was declared a
protected natural monument (Presidential Decree 433/
1985). In 1986, the Environmental Protection Law was
adopted, which refers also to the protection of abiotic components of Nature.
Following international initiatives (Martini, 1993; O’Halloran et al., 1994), a working group for the protection of the
geological heritage in Greece was formed in 1995 by IGME
and was enlarged with the contribution of scientists from the
universities and other institutions. Since then several initiatives have been taken for protecting and promoting
Introduction
The Aegean area is classified as one of the most active regions of the Earth’s
surface due to its intense
tectonic activity. Examples
of important geomorphological, geological and
palaeontological sites associated with numerous geological phenomena and processes can be seen throughout the Aegean region: volcanoes, narrow valleys and
gorges, caves and other
karstic landforms, rare
rocks and minerals, thermal
springs and geothermal
fields, major fossil sites,
large geological faults, ore
mines, stone quarries and
spectacular landscapes. Geomorphological, geological
and palaeontological sites
having a monumental char-
228
Photo 1 – An impressive volcanic geosite in the Aegean sea. Santorini caldera, formed by a
catastrophic eruption 3600 years ago, which demolished a large part of the volcano. The multicoloured
layers of pyroclastics, lavas and pumice deposits resulted from the successive eruptions during the last
2,5 million years built up of the caldera margins.
Photo 1 – Un géosite volcanique impressionnant de la région de la mer Egée. La caldeira de l’île de
Santorin a été formée par une éruption catastrophique ayant provoqué la démolition d’une grande partie
du volcan il y a 3600 ans. Les couches aux couleurs variées de pyroclastes, de laves et de ponces
déposées au cours d’éruptions successives durant 2,5 millions d’années ont construit les bords de la
caldeira.
Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement, 2005, n° 3, p. 227-234
Assessment, protection, and promotion of geomorphological and geological sites in the Agean area
important geological and geomorphological sites. In the
frame of the Geosites project, an International Union of
Geological Sciences (IUGS) initiative for the inventory and
compilation of the global geosites list, a geosites framework
list for South Eastern European countries was prepared
(Theodosiou-Drandaki et al., 2003).
In 1998, the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, in collaboration with the Departments of
Geology of the Universities of Athens and Thessaloniki and
the Department of Geography of the University of the
Aegean, started a new effort for the selection and assessment of geomorphological and geological sites in the broad
Aegean area, in the frame of a project financed by the Ministry of the Aegean. The result was the creation of the Atlas
of the geological monuments of the Aegean (Velitzelos et
al., 2003; Zouros et al., 2004).
The main objectives of this paper are to present the current
situation in terms of identification of monumental geosites in
the broader Aegean area (including islands and a broad
coastal zone) and the results of the geosite management on
Lesvos island.
Geosite protection
and geoparks
During the last decade several international initiatives
were established aiming at protecting, promoting, and rationally managing geosites through the creation of geoparks.
The geopark concept was developed mainly in Europe in
cooperation with UNESCO (Eder and Patzak, 2004).
According to a UNESCO recommendation “the potential of
geoparks is to be used as a basis for enhancing the promotion
of geological heritage in order to educate the public at large
in geological sciences and in environmental matters; ensure
sustainable development (geotourism); and protect endangered geological heritage sites for future generations”
(UNESCO, 2004).
In June 2000, four European territories presenting a particular geological and geomorphological heritage, among
them the Petrified Forest of Lesvos, created the European
Geoparks Network. The main objective was to cooperate in
protecting the geological heritage and promoting a sustainable development of their territories through geotourism
(Zouros, 2004). In 2004 the network, operated with the support of UNESCO, has expanded to include 21 territories
across eight European countries. These Geopark authorities
have endeavoured to identify and protect geosites throughout their territory. Geosites are interlinked by a network of
walking trails, benefit from protection and management
measures (fencing, preservation, etc.), and are used for the
interpretation of the geological history of each territory. In
February 2004, UNESCO established the Global Network
of Geoparks. Based on the evaluation of the existing geoparks, the International Advisory Group of Experts decided to
include at that time the existing 17 European Geoparks and
8 Chinese Geoparks in the Global UNESCO Network of
Geoparks (Eder and Patzak, 2004; Zouros, 2004).
Geological and geomorphological
monuments in the Aegean area
The main goals of the Aegean project were to produce a
list of typical geomorphological and geological sites
exhibiting a monumental character, which should highlight
the geomorphological and geological wealth of the Aegean
area and help to draw comparisons among different landscapes of the Aegean islands that share similar geological
histories. An inventory of 317 geosites was created, taking
into account the main scientific bibliography and following
cartographic analysis, remote sensing, ground survey, and
mapping. The above-mentioned geosites were selected and
categorised into 13 main thematic classes based on the specific characteristic of the study area and on similar
categorisation in the international literature (Ellis et al.,
1996; Glasser, 2001; Gray, 2004).
Subsequently, an evaluation process was performed to
assign a geomorphological and geological value to all sites
in each of the above categories. This evaluation process was
based on the following criteria: 1) scientific and educational
value (integrity, rarity, representativeness, and exemplarity);
2) natural beauty and aesthetic value; 3) cultural interest; 4)
geodiversity; 5) potential threats and protection needs (legal
protection, vulnerability); and 6) potential for use (recognizability, geographical distribution, accessibility, and potential
for generating economic activities).
The incorporation of criterion 1 in the evaluation process
was performed by assigning a numerical value (within a
range 40-4) based on the integrity (10-1), rarity (10-1), representativeness (10-1), and exemplarity (10-1) of each site.
Criteria 2 and 3 were incorporated by assigning a maximum
(10) or minimum value (1) based on their designation or
lack of designation by the national or regional legislation as
a landscape of outstanding natural beauty or cultural landscape. A numerical value (10-1) was assigned to criterion 4
based on the number of geological and geomorphological
phenomena that appear in each site. Criterion 5 was taken
into account by assigning a value of 5 or 1 for the existence
of legal protection or its absence, respectively. Similarly the
presence and the magnitude of potential threats were taken
into account by assigning a value from 5 to 1. A numerical
value (20-1) was assigned for criterion 6 based on the recognisability, geographical distribution, accessibility, and
potential for generating economic activities of each site.
The monuments were classified in 5 groups: international,
European, national, regional, and local according to the
importance of the site. Table 1 presents the most important
monumental geosites in the Aegean area. The publication of
the “Atlas of the geological monuments of the Aegean”
(Velitzelos et al., 2003) is the first attempt towards the
recognition of all geomorphological and geological sites by
the local authorities, inhabitants and visitors of the area. It
will help the public to understand the richness of our natural
heritage and the complex processes, which create the unique
Aegean landscapes. It will also help the local society to
understand the immense value of the natural environment of
the Aegean and to raise awareness for its protection.
Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement, 2005, n° 3, p. 227-234
229
Fig. 1 – Geosites in Lesvos Island. 1: Petrified Forest park; 2: Nissiopi park; 3: Sigri park; 4: Plaka park; 5: Skamiouda park; 6: Antissa fossiliferous site
(=f.s.); 7: Mesotopos f.s. ; 8: Eressos f.s.; 9: Rougada f.s.; 10: Molyvos-Petra f.s.; 11: Lapsarna f.s.; 12: Chamandroula f.s.; 13: Gavathas f.s.; 14: Vatera f.s.;
15: Metohi f.s.; 16: Akrohiras f.s.; 17: Mavros Lofos f.s.; 18: Sarakina f.s. 19: Lepetymnos Caldera; 20: Vatoussa Caldera; 21: Agra Caldera; 22: Mesotopos
Dome; 23: Ipsilou Dome; 24: Petra Volcanic Neck; 25: Panagia Columnar Lavas; 26: Alifada Vein; 27: Filia Vein; 28: Anemotia Columnar Lavas; 29: Eressos
Dome; 30: Pelopi Columnar Lavas; 31: Molyvos Columnar Lavas; 32: Achladeri Ignimbrites; 33: Gera hot springs; 34: Thermi hot springs; 35: Lisvori hot
springs; 36: Polichnitos hot springs; 37: Argenos hot springs; 38: Eftalou hot springs; 39: Vatoussa Spheroidal Erosional landforms; 40: Lapsarna Cliffs; 41:
Voulgaris Gorge; 42: Antissa Cave; 43: Taxiarhon Cave; 44: Mihos Cave; 45: Alifada Cave; 46: Faneromeni Folds; 47: Gera Gulf Fault; 48: Larsos Fault; 49:
Agia Paraskevi Fault; 50: Olympos Tectonic Window; 51: Vatera Fault; 52: Moria Ancient Quarry; 53: N.Lesvos Mines; 54: Magnesite Mines.
Fig. 1 – Géosites de l’Île de Lesvos.
1 : parc de la Forêt pétrifiée ; 2 : parc
Nissiopi ; 3 : parc Sigri ; 4 : parc
Plaka ; 5 : parc Skamiouda ; 6 : site
fossilifère d’Antissa ; 7 : site fossilifère
de Mesotopos ; 8 : site fossilifère
d’Eressos ; 9 : site fossilifère de
Rougada ; 10 : site fossilifère de
Molyvos-Petra ; 11 : site fossilifère de
Lapsarna ; 12 : site fossilifère de
Chamandroula ; 13 : site fossilifère de
Gavathas ; 14 : site fossilifère de
Vatera ; 15 : site fossilifère de Metohi ;
16 : site fossilifère d’Akrohiras ; 17 :
site fossilifère de Mavros Lofos ; 18 :
site fossilifère de Sarakina 19 :
caldeira de Lepetymnos ; 20 :
caldeira de Vatoussa ; 21 : caldeira
d’Agra ; 22 : dôme de Mesotopos ;
23 : dôme d’Ipsilou ; 24 : neck
volcanique de Petra ; 25 : orgues
basaltiques de Panagia ; 26 : dyke
d’Alifada ; 27 : dyke de Filia ; 28 :
orgues basaltiques d’Anemotia ; 29 :
dôme d’Eressos ; 30 : orgues
basaltiques de Pelopi ; 31 : orgues
basaltiques de Molyvos ; 32 :
ignimbrites d’Achladeri ; 33 : source
thermale de Gera ; 34 : source
thermale de Thermi ; 35 : source
thermale de Lisvori ; 36 : source
thermale de Polichnitos ; 37 : source
thermale de Argenos ; 38 : source
thermale d’Eftalou ; 39 : formes
d’érosion sphériques de Vatoussa ;
40 : falaises de Lapsarna ; 41 :
gorges de Voulgaris ; 42 : grotte
d’Antissa ; 43 : grotte de Taxiarhon ;
44 : grotte de Mihos ; 45 : grotte
d’Alifada ; 46 : plis de Faneromeni ;
47 : faille du golfe de Gera ; 48 : faille
de Larsos ; 49 : faille d’Agia
Paraskevi ; 50 : fenêtre tectonique
d’Olympos ; 51 : faille de Vatera ; 52 :
ancienne carrière de Moria ; 53 :
mines du nord de Lesvos ; 54 : mines
de magnésite.
Nikolaus Zouros
230
Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement, 2005, n° 3, p. 227-234
Assessment, protection, and promotion of geomorphological and geological sites in the Agean area
Lesvos is part of a belt of late
Oligocene to middle Miocene calcalcaline to shoshonitic volcanism
of the northern and central Aegean
Sea and western Anatolia. In the
central part of the island a series of
volcanic centres is located along a
SW-NE direction. The main volcanic sequence consists of andesite, dacite, and basalt lavas, ignimbrites, and a thick pyroclastic sequence (Pe-Piper and Piper, 2002),
that are connected with the development of the Lesvos petrified forest. Associated with volcanic rock
formations on the western part of
the island, hundreds of standing
and lying fossilised tree trunks
occur (photo 3). The fossil sites
comprise the well-known “Petrified Forest of Lesvos” over an area
of 15,000 ha. Early Miocene volPhoto 2 – Mushroom rock in pyroclastic rocks of Kimolos Island due to wind erosion.
canic eruptions resulted in the flow
Photo 2 – Rocher-champignon dû à la corrasion éolienne de matériaux pyroclastiques sur of pyroclastic material that covered
l’île de Kimolos.
the trunks, branches, fruits and
leaves of the trees. The isolation of
The presentation of the sites was made in three different the plant fibbers from external conditions and the ensuing
map scales, one map (scale 1:1,000,000) that covers the intense hydrothermic circulation allowed for the perfect siliwhole area with location of the geological monuments, cification of the plants. Palaeobotanical studies show that
9 maps (scale 1:500,000) covering the continental coastal
area and the islands Euboea and Crete, and 32 maps (scale
1:250,000) that cover all the other islands of the Aegean.
Sixteen special pictograms representing different categories
of geological monuments were designed in order to replace
the classical geometric symbols, to mark the location of the
monuments in the maps. Digital elevation models were used
in order to create the 3D topographical background of the
maps instead of the classical contour lines. All sites are illustrated with spectacular photographs (photos 1 and 2).
Geosite assessment
in the Lesvos Island
The Island of Lesvos is located in the NE of the Aegean
Sea and covers an area of 1630 km2. Neogene volcanic
rocks dominate the central and western part of the island.
Photo 3 – Typical standing petrified trunk of a conifer
Taxodioxylon gypsaceum in the Petrified Forest Park, in
Lesvos Island. Erosional processes of the pyroclastic rocks along
Tsichliontas river valley uncover hundreds of standing and lying
petrified tree trunks, buried in situ after a volcanic eruption during
early Miocene times.
Photo 3 – Tronc typique pétrifié sur pied d’un conifère de
l’espèce Taxodioxylon gypsaceum dans le Parc de la Forêt
Pétrifiée sur l’île de Lesvos. L’érosion des dépôts pyroclastiques
par la rivière de Tsichliontas met à jour des centaines de troncs
d’arbres pétrifiés sur pied ou tombés à terre, qui ont été enterrés in
situ lors d’une éruption volcanique au début du Miocène.
Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement, 2005, n° 3, p. 227-234
231
Nikolaus Zouros
Photo 4 – Columnar lavas of
Pelopi due to fast cooling
of the intruded lava into
softer pyroclastic material
on the Lepetymnos volcano
flank, Lesvos Island. Subsequent erosion has left the
resident dyke standing as an
abrupt natural wall.
Photo 4 – Orgues basaltiques de Pelopi formées
en raison du refroidissement rapide d’intrusions de
lave dans des matériaux
pyroclastiques tendres sur
les flancs du volcan de
Leptymnos sur l’île de Lesvos. L’érosion a dégagé le
dyke, formant un mur naturel.
the floral composition of
the early Miocene forest
was dominated by angiosperms and gymnosperms (conifers) and
had a low proportion of
pteridophytes (ferns) (Suss and Velitzelos, 1993, 1994;
Velitzelos and Zouros, 1998, 2000).
A research study and field survey on Lesvos, carried out
by the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest and the Department of Geography of the University of
the Aegean, has been aimed at better understanding the geological evolution of the island and the origin of the petrified forest. A number of geosites was identified, assessed,
and mapped using the same methodology as in the Aegean
inventory. A new geosite map of the Lesvos island was published (fig. 1). Geosites within the Lesvos petrified forest
geopark in the volcanic terrains of Lesvos, apart from the
fossil sites, include the volcanic calderas of Lepetymnos,
Vatousa and Agra, volcanic structures like the Pelopi
columnar lavas (photo 4), the Petra volcanic neck (photo 5),
the Filia veins, the Ipsilou and Messotopos domes, the Eressos laccoliths, and impressive volcanic landscapes like
those formed by the Polichnitos ignimbrite formation in
Photo 5 – Volcanic neck of Petra rises abruptly above the surrounding land on Lesvos Island. Milenia of erosion removed the less
resistant material that made up the cone, leaving the harder, andecitic lava choked neck as a conspicuous remnant.
Photo 5 – Le neck volcanique de Petra s’élève abruptement au-dessus du niveau de la terre dans l’île de Lesvos. L’érosion a emporté
les matériaux peu résistants formant le cône pour ne conserver que les andésites de la cheminée volcanique, créant ainsi un neck.
232
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Assessment, protection, and promotion of geomorphological and geological sites in the Agean area
Achladeri and Antissa areas. Most of them are observable
due to the erosion.
Other geosites represent active and evolving geomorphological landforms, including tectonically active fault scarps,
geothermal fields, karst and caves, and coastal and fluvial
landforms. Such geosites are the Larsos Sand kamiouda
fault scarps, Gavathas fault and Nisiopi fault system,
impressive gorges like those of the Voulgaris and Tsichliontas rivers, deltas and wetlands like those formed by the Tsiknias and Tsichliontas rivers, the Antissa cave which is connected with the legend of Opheas, the Lapsarna coastal high
cliffs, and the hot springs of Polychnitos, Geras, Efthalou
and Argenos. Along the north-western coast of the island
intense erosional processes uncovered the basement of the
island, which is considered as a probable remnant of the
Cimmerian continent (Mountrakis, 1986; Katsikatsos et al.,
1986; Papanikolaou, 1989) composed by a Permo-triassic
rock sequence including micaschists, quartzites, metasandstones, phyllites and carbonates as well as remnants of a
Tethyan ophiolithic nappe. Several stratigraphic geosites
show the relations between the different stratigraphic units
(alpine basement and post alpine volcanics) in Sigri,
Faneromeni, Lapsarna and Gavathas sites.
Geosite management in
the Lesvos Petrified Forest Geopark
Aiming at protecting and efficiently managing the petrified
forest, the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified
Forest was founded in 1994. It is a non-profit organisation
and defines the management structure of the Lesvos Petrified Forest Geopark. Its seven-member board encompasses
representatives of the central government, the local authorities, universities and the local community. Its scientific,
technical and administrative staff includes 8 permanent and
25 temporary employees. The Lesvos Petrified Forest Geopark comprises a core zone (15,000 hectares of the petrified
forest protected area) and a broad buffer zone (more than
20,000 hectares of the central volcanic terrains).
A strategic plan for the sustainable development of the area
has been carried out by the Lesvos Geopark in order to link
the protection and promotion of geosites with the development of geotourism. This plan takes into consideration the
results of the research and excavations in the petrified forest
area, the presence of important geosites (i.e. volcanic structures, domes, craters, and thermal springs) and biological
reserves, the existence of spot interventions and infrastructures as well as the local economic activities. Geosites are
the essential elements for the Lesvos Geopark, providing
information to the Geopark visitors on the importance of the
geological and geomorphological processes for the development of the area. Thus local people also realise that certain
“rocks” in the vicinity of their houses represent remnants of
outstanding phenomena and processes and demonstrate the
geological history of their living area. In this way certain
rock formations gain a new identity for the people and at the
same time become objects to be respected and protected.
The Lesvos Petrified Forest Geopark integrates the range
of resources found in the broader region, including the existing geological tourist attractions (the petrified forest park
and the museum), the new parks created on important fossil
sites (the Sigri park and the Plaka park), the various interpreted geosites, enchanting landscapes, wetlands, sites of
natural beauty and ecological value, as well as cultural monuments (the Sigri castle, the Ypsilou monastery, the Eressos
acropolis), picturesque villages, traditional gastronomy and
local products. A broad range of activities combine the main
components for the operation of Lesvos Geopark, including
scientific research, the creation of the geosite inventory and
map, the protection, interpretation and promotion of
geosites, the conservation of fossils, the creation of visiting
parks, the establishment of a network of walking trails linking geosites to ecotourism infrastructures, the development
of environmental education programmes on geosites, the
organisation of scientific and cultural events, and the promotion of monumental geosites.
The Lesvos petrified forest geopark applies certain management measures for the protection, conservation and
promotion of the inventory of geosites present in the territory. These measures comprise: 1) regular maintenance
(fencing, cleaning) and janitor services to protect geosites
against abuse and vandalism; 2) geosite monitoring providing the necessary measures and protective installations
against weathering and erosion; 3) treatment of vulnerable
geosites with annual conservation and protective measures
(preparation, sealing); 4) interpretation of geosites with
onsite information panels, leaflets and field guides, and; 5)
organisation of on-site activities (education programmes,
guided trekking on geosite trails, various recreation activities in the vicinity of geosites, etc.) that assist in raising
public awarness about the importance of geosites.
The main geotouristic infrastructure in the Lesvos geopark
is the creation of “lava paths” that invite the visitor to follow
the ancient path of the pyroclastic flows from the main volcanoes to the petrified forest. These are footpaths that link
the various geosites and other sites of interest throughout the
geopark. Panels along the footpaths provide information
about the different geosites that the visitor will encounter
along the way. On entering the Lesvos geopark region, signs
along the Mytilene-Kalloni-Sigri road direct the visitor
towards the Petrified Forest and demarcate the borders of
the protected area. Walking trails start from different points
along the main road. The Lesvos geopark has also created
links with local tourist enterprises, handicrafts and women
cooperatives producing local food and drinks.
Conclusion
Although several efforts have been carried out during the
last decade in terms of assessing, protecting, and promoting
geomorphological and geological heritage in Greece, the
lack of a national inventory of sites still keeps the elements
of abiotic nature away from state nature protection plans.
Recently, an inventory was published, which includes
317 geosites covering the Aegean islands and the coastal
Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement, 2005, n° 3, p. 227-234
233
Nikolaus Zouros
area of the mainland, but a legal recognition of this is still
lacking. The publication of the Atlas of the Geological Monuments of the Aegean is the first attempt towards the
recognition of these geosites by the local authorities, inhabitants, and visitors to the area.
The results on the identification, assessment, protection,
promotion and management of geosites in the Lesvos Petrified Forest Geopark show that geoparks can become the
appropriate tool to heighten public awareness of the values of
geological and geomorphological heritage. The successful
operation of such structures will ensure the protection and
promotion of the geological and geomorphological sites and
has the potential to add significantly to local development.
Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to Prof. Jean-Claude Thouret (Université Blaise Pascal) for his editorial comments and
constructive suggestions on the manuscript. The author is
also grateful to Prof. Emmanuel Reynard (Université de
Lausanne) and two anonymous reviewers for their insightful
reviews and comments that enabled him to improve upon the
original manuscript.
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Article reçu le 6 octobre 2004, accepté le 29 juin 2005
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