Geoheritage and Geotourism in Regions with Extinct Volcanism in Germany; Case Study Southwest Germany with UNESCO Global Geopark Swabian Alb

Abstract

Geotourism has become more popular in recent decades. Volcanism is an essential part of geoheritage and attracts a high number of visitors. In contrast to active volcanism, Tertiary volcanism is often not identified as such by a lay audience and is understandably perceived as less spectacular. The challenge is therefore to protect the volcanic heritage, to communicate its values, and to enhance it with the help of adequate geotourism offers. Germany does not have active volcanism, but a very high quality volcanic geological heritage, especially from the Tertiary period. Fortunately, this heritage is being increasingly valued and presented in an attractive way for a lay audience. The two Geoparks in the Eifel (Rhineland-Palatinate) are pioneers in this field. The UNESCO Global Geopark Swabian Alb actually offers a well camouflaged potential. The Swabian volcano, with an area of 1600 km2, is one of the most important tuff vent areas on earth, but hardly known outside of expert groups. A comprehensive strategy for the geotouristic valorization of the Tertiary volcanic phenomena does not yet exist in the Geopark Swabian Alb.

Geodiversity and Mining Towards the Development of Geotourism: A Global Perspective

“…With the information obtained, inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied in studies with a bibliometric approach [31]. The field of study was limited to the Earth and Planetary Sciences sub-area, obtaining 2,192 records.…”

Calcerous Tufa as Invaluable Geotopes Endangered by (Over-)Tourism: A Case Study in the UNESCO Global Geopark Swabian Alb, Germany

“…[45]. A special feature are the forms of tertiary volcanism, which are concentrated in the Urach-Kirchheim area, and form one of the largest volcanic vent fields on earth [46].…”

Recent State Policy and Its Impact on Geopark Establishment and Operation in Slovakia

“…The importance of the global growth of geoparks is supported by the fact that, in the last two decades, geoparks have been a subject of interest of many authors, and geopark areas have become the subject of studies and research in various fields, including geology and geomorphology [6][7][8], geoconservation [9][10][11], geodiversity [12][13][14][15][16][17], geotourism [18][19][20][21], sustainable development [22][23][24][25][26], ecology and biodiversity [27][28][29][30][31][32][33], and education [34][35][36].…”