The specificities of Geomorphological Heritage

The geomorphological heritage embraces landforms and processes play a key role in the understanding of the history of Earth, having a strict relationship with both the biological and the cultural heritage. Due to its specific characteristics – the aesthetic dimension, the dynamic dimension and the imbrication of scales – the geomorphological heritage is unique and distinctive within the geoheritage and has promoted great interest over time from a touristic viewpoint. Geomorphological heritage is more than ever in a position to become a significant sustainable territorial resource, enhanced through geotourism and environmental education. The specificities of the geomorphological heritage induce methods of study and practices themselves specific, adapted from classical geomorphology but borrowing from other related disciplines, essentially geographical. Thus, alongside cultural geomorphology and social geomorphology, a heritage geomorphology emerges, the main purposes of which are not only the characterization of the geomorphological heritage, but also methods of protection and management.