Geosciences | Highly Cited Papers Published in 2024–2025 in the “Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism” Section

We are pleased to introduce a list of highly cited papers published in the “Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism” Section of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263).

The amount of research associated with “Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism” has increased dramatically in recent years. The current challenges faced by humanity with respect to global changes have highlighted the need to better understand our geoheritage and its place in the global nest of science. Understanding the geoheritage values of geological and geomorphological sites is an important aspect of setting geosciences to work and moving research outputs to a field where results are visible, used, and tested against general societal perceptions about how the Earth works. One of the pinnacles of geoheritage work is to develop conceptual frameworks that can be implemented in the complex conservation of geological features and landforms through geoparks at various levels of scale—from local to global. Geoparks are currently both a fundamental aspect of geoconservation and locations which demonstrate how human society can live with its geoheritage, helping to develop a sense of responsibility to preserve it, learn how to use our natural resources sustainably, and foster understanding of various geohazards. Within this framework, geotourism is a new aspect of tourism which is currently evolving dramatically to become a potential avenue to boost alternative types of tourism, such as “slow tourism”. The last two decades have clearly shown that scientific research, analysis, and comparative studies within geoheritage, along with the practical implementation of those results towards sustainable development, geoconservation, and geotourism, are urgently needed, and geoheritage research has now found an important place within the geosciences.

This Section of Geosciences is dedicated to the publication of any aspects relevant to geoheritage, geoparks, and geotourism. We seek high-quality descriptive works on various geosite inventories that show the diverse and difficult methodology behind the establishment of such inventories. This Section aims to encourage diversity and calls for works to be submitted from the perspectives of both pure geological and geographical descriptions and works that demonstrate the various methods applied in this context. We are looking for works that combine land use and land management techniques and adapt them for geoheritage evaluations, including advanced technologies such as geostatistics, GIS, and various techniques for the analysis of big data.

The Section also calls for expert contributors from the traditional geoscience perspective to provide narrative “stories” that provide information on their pure geoscience research results and how these could be part of geopreservation, geoconservation and, ultimately, the establishment of various protected geosites and geoparks of various levels and significance.

This Section is also open for the publication of philosophical works that intend to put geosciences in a global framework through Earth system approaches and explore key elements of geodiversity in light of the current biodiversity aspects of conservation. While the analogy between biodiversity and geodiversity seems a logical idea, in reality this connection needs to be tested, evaluated, and developed further. Such novel approaches to express geodiversity, which combine various disciplines, test it, and demonstrate its validity, are very welcome in this Section.

Geoethics and its role in geoconservation are currently under heated discussion; this Section would like to call on authors engaging with aspects of this challenge.

This Section also wishes to publish works that are more practical and provide information and ways to promote geotourism. Works that are the result of a synergy of geoscientists, land managers, engineers, planners, geographers, archaeologists, and social scientists are most welcome, in order to provide a broad discussion forum on geoheritage, geoparks, and geotourism for geoscientists and allow the global readership of Geosciences to partake in this journey.

1. “Geosites and Climate Change—A Review and Conceptual Framework”
by Piotr Migoń
Geosciences 2024, 14(6), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14060153

2. “Geological and Structural Framework, Inventory, and Quantitative Assessment of Geodiversity: The Case Study of the Lake Faro and Lake Ganzirri Global Geosites (Italy)”
by Roberta Somma, Sebastiano Ettore Spoto and Salvatore Giacobbe
Geosciences 2024, 14(9), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14090236

3. “Science Communication Practices in UNESCO Global Geoparks: A Benchmark Analysis”
by Joana Rodrigues, Elsa Costa e Silva and Diamantino Ínsua Pereira
Geosciences 2025, 15(3), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15030078

4. “Selected Geoheritage Resources of “Atlantic Geopark” Project (Central Portugal)”
by Salomé C. Custódio, Maria Helena Henriques, Emmaline M. Rosado-González, Nuno M. Vaz and Artur A. Sá
Geosciences 2024, 14(3), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14030081

5. “Evaluating the Impact of Geoeducation Programs on Student Learning and Geoheritage Awareness in Greece”
by George Zafeiropoulos and Hara Drinia
Geosciences 2024, 14(12), 348; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14120348

6. “Assessment and Validation of a Geoethical Awareness Scale (GAS) for UNESCO Global Geoparks: A Case Study in Greece”
by Alexandros Aristotelis Koupatsiaris and Hara Drinia
Geosciences 2025, 15(6), 213; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15060213

7. “The Geotourism Product—What It Is and What It Is Not”
by Ľubomír Štrba, Silvia Bodzáš Palgutová, Ján Derco, Branislav Kršák and Csaba Sidor
Geosciences 2025, 15(7), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15070270

8. “Inventory and Quantitative Assessment of Geosites in the Southern Sector of the Island of Malta”
by Martina Possenelli, Ritienne Gauci, Stefano Devoto, Lidia Selmi, Paola Coratza and Vittoria Vandelli
Geosciences 2024, 14(11), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14110292

9. “Reassessing the Global Significance of Geological Heritage in the Miné-Akiyoshidai Karst Plateau Aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark”
by Koji Wakita, Hokuto Obara, Nozomu Oyama and Takashi Murakami
Geosciences 2025, 15(2), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15020056

10. “The Backgrounds of Renaissance Paintings in the Ancient Duchy of Urbino (Central Italy): Exploring New Forms of Valorization of Geoheritage through Their Inclusion in UNESCO Cultural Landscapes”
by Olivia Nesci, Rosetta Borchia and Laura Valentini
Geosciences 2024, 14(3), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14030076