Sustainable Pathways in Geotourism and Environmental Protection

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of sustainability is central to geotourism, and serves as a fundamental operating principle. Geotourism, which focuses on exploring Earth's geological heritage (geological processes, forms, formations, and phenomena), is inherently and closely linked to the ideas of sustainable development and conservation.

Sustainable geotourism successfully integrates the environmental protection of geological values with the minimization of negative impacts on the environment, the social and economic sustainability of local communities, and the preservation of cultural heritage. This approach encompasses the protection of geological formations, effective visitor education, the involvement of local communities, and the support of the local economy, thereby ensuring the long-term preservation of natural resources for future generations.

This Special Issue, “Sustainable Pathways in Geotourism and Environmental Protection”, aims to protect geological and natural heritage while ensuring long-term social and economic benefits for local communities and its visitors. These objectives can be achieved through key pathways such as the following:

• Implementation of strict management plans to protect geologically sensitive sites and minimize physical damage to geological formations.
• Promotion of local sustainable transportation modes to improve supply chain efficiencies.
• Development of systems that reduce water and energy consumption in the facilities and services that are necessary to accommodate visitors, including environmentally friendly waste management.
• Monitoring climate change impacts on geosites.
• Proposing adaptation measures to reduce infrastructural risks for tourists and residents.
• Supporting projects for the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded areas within Geoparks.
• Development and implementation of related educational programs and interactive exhibits that provide authentic interpretations of geological, cultural, and natural processes, designed to increase environmental awareness among visitors.
• Community involvement in the planning, decision-making, and management of geotourism projects to enhance pride and identity of place via heritage conservation.
• Creation of training and certification programs for local guides, entrepreneurs, and employees to provide high-quality and sustainable services.
• Geotourism accessibility to all visitor groups and the equitable sharing of economic benefits within the local community.
• Purchasing necessary products and services from local suppliers/producers, leading to employment for community residents.
• Strategies to expand geotourism product offerings beyond site-specific locations to manage carrying capacity issues.
• Business model development that allocates tourism revenues for geosite management and related community projects.
• Geotourism activity development to control demand issues related to seasonality leading to regional economic stability.

We seek contributions offering a variety of methodologies. Suitable approaches include the following: empirical research; detailed case studies; conceptual analysis; critical and meta-analysis; big data analysis; text mining; bibliometric analysis; and qualitative research. Research employing geographic mapping and other methods for address carrying capacity are welcomed. Research studies using in-depth personal interviews to understand community attitudes, as well as analyses confirming stakeholder involvement, are also welcomed. Studies that incorporate environmental monitoring and the use of sustainability indicators to measure the impacts of tourism are also desirable. In conclusion, the development of geotourism sustainability reflects the need for an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to geopark management.

Dr. Mário Molokáč
Dr. Dana Tometzová
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• management plans to protect geologically sensitive sites
• impacts of climate change on geosites
• rehabilitation of degraded areas
• interpretation of geological phenomena
• identity of place through heritage conservation
• high-quality and sustainable services
• accessible to all visitor groups
• goods and services from local producers
• reduce pressure on the most popular sites
• geotourism product offerings