A Methodology for Quantitative Assessment of Geosite Degradation Risk

In recent years, many geoconservation studies have focused on the degradation risk of geosites. The identification of threats to geoheritage and the consequent assessment of degradation risk, is fundamental to define any geoconservation strategy. Several methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative, have been proposed in scientific literature to assess the degradation risk of geosites. Most of them revolve around the concepts of “fragility”, “vulnerability”, “sensitivity” etc., terms that have been used inconsistently over the years. Starting from an evaluation of strenghts and weaknesses of existing methodologies, we propose a new quantitative methodology for the assessment of the degradation risk of geosites. The degradation risk is assessed by means of the following criteria: (i) fragility, which depends on the intrinsic characteristics of the geosite; (ii) natural vulnerability, depending on exstrinsic natural factors, i.e., active natural processes; (iii) anthropogenic vulnerability, depending on exstrinsic anthropogenic factors. The methodology takes into account also the assessment of protection measures, if any, which can be considered measures to mitigate the vulnerability of geosites. Each of these four criteria was assessed by means of a set of indicators, to which numerical scores were attributed. The methodology was tested on 143 geosites belonging to two different study areas: the Liguria region (North-Western Italy), and the Hérens Valley in the Pennine Alps (Valais, Switzerland). The methodology is structured to be easily replicable, also in different geographical-geomorphological contexts, and the results may constitute an important tool for the outlining of effective management and enhancement strategies for geosites.