No abstract

An inventory of geological sites based on solid and clear criteria is a first step for any geoconservation strategy. This paper describes the method used in the geoheritage inventory of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and presents its main results. This inventory developed by the geoscientific community aimed to identify geosites with scientific value in the whole state, using a systematic approach. All 142 geosites representative of 11 geological frameworks were characterised and quantitatively evaluated according to their scientific value and risk of degradation, in order to establish priorities for their future management. An online database of the inventory is under construction, which will be available to be easily consulted and updated by the geoscientific community. All data were made available to the State Geological Institute as the backbone for the implementation of a future state geoconservation strategy.

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Positive attitudes toward the natural environment are supposedly associated with higher levels of satisfaction in the visitation of natural protected areas. However, this relationship has not yet been thoroughly investigated. A reasonable alternative hypothesis can be considered in the case of overloaded natural protected areas (i.e., with high levels of visitation and infrastructure). Too many people and abundant facilities in natural areas could eliminate the effect of the pro-environmental attitude on satisfaction. Environmentalist visitors might feel the area has been spoilt by crowds and overconstruction, or simply they might not find the close contact with nature they were looking for. These concurrent hypotheses were tested using data from 434 interviews conducted with long-haul tourists visiting the Iguaçu National Park in Brazil. The results showed that, despite the crowds and large-scale infrastructure in the park, environmentalists are still more satisfied than nonenvironmentalists with the visitation experience. Managerial implications are discussed.