Geoheritage and Resilience. Selected studies of volcanic geoheritage areas from different geographical environments and different levels of protection

Geoheritage is a rapidly emerging domain of geosciences, with the mission to evaluate and ensure effective conservation of the abiotical natural heritage and examining the potential of their broad-scale interpretation and popularization. Using an interdisciplinary approach, geoheritage encompasses not only the full toolkit of geology and geography, but also other domains such as disaster risk reduction and resilience to natural hazards. Geosites can be features exposed to hazards and can be hazards themselves, underlining the importance of dedicated geoconservation. Initiatives are emerging within the sphere of geoparks, but studies with these aspects are still in an early phase.The thesis examines the geoheritage of three selected sites relating geoheritage to resilience. They are highly different areas, in terms of geographical conditions, the present level of geoconservation and interpretation, their socio-economical context, and consequent potential for development. State-of-the-art geoheritage assessment methods were used with two principal aims. The outcomes of each area function as direct output being shared with local stakeholders to enhance their ongoing or future geoheritage management initiatives. On the other hand, the thesis is an applied study using existing methods, especially the quantitative assessment of geosites. Instead of adding new methods to the plethora of existing ones, this work looks to help towards the standardization with the interpretation of selected, well-established methods.In the first study area, the Chaîne des Puys – Limagne Fault natural World Heritage site in France, a dedicated inventory of geosites was created for the World Heritage property. A national and an international assessment method were used in parallel, including also the first experimental study in France on visitors’ feedback in geosite assessment.The second study area, the city of Clermont-Ferrand, is adjacent to the first study case, sharing the same geological background, but with a highly different context due to urbanization. The thesis addresses this scenario with a fine-scale geosite inventory of the city, using the French national workflow. Based on the results, a management proposal has been made which could be turned into a geodiversity action plan by the local municipality.The third study is about Dallol in Ethiopia, connected to the French examples by having a continental rifting scenario, but encompassing a highly distinct socio-economical context for geoheritage management. It is a globally unique ensemble of a (proto)volcano, hydrothermalism and salt karst, however its study is still exploratory, especially in terms of monitoring. The thesis has taken a step in this direction with monthly satellite image monitoring, while carrying out the assessment of the outstanding geoheritage using a comparison of three methods. The two initiatives were synthesized into a preliminary resilient geoheritage management strategy, to be incorporated into local strategies to address the constantly increasing tourist pressure in this area of high risk. The dissertation is put into context with an introduction, briefly summarizing the most important concepts of geoheritage and disaster risk reduction, and introducing the concept on geoheritage and resilience. Finally, a synthesis is given based on the outcomes of the three case studies, highlighting site-specific geoheritage management, the usage of comparative quantitative assessments, the need for the standardization of methods, and the importance of interdisciplinary approaches such as combining risk management and geoheritage.