Chapter 8 Management of geotourism stakeholders experiences from the Network History of the Earth

Abstract

A sharp increase in interest in geotourism worldwide in recent years has transformed many suitable regions into unique geotourism destinations opening up great opportunities for geoconservation and regional sustainable development. To fully capitalize on this potential, however, it is essential to bring together the fragmented stakeholders from the public and private sectors and establish appropriate structures and processes to facilitate their effective communication and collaboration. Only through such a partnership can an adequate knowledge base, built on diverse experiences and expertise, be established to provide certainty and guidance in the sustainable development of local geotourism products. Thus, effective communication networks and an open exchange of information are cornerstones of a successful implementation of geotourism in a region. The Network History of the Earth is a case in point for such a successful geotourism partnership. It was founded in 1997 as a framework for cooperation between a range of diverse stakeholders working together to develop a high quality sustainable tourism product based on the unique georesources of South-West Germany (Pforr and Megerle, 2006). South-West Germany mainly comprises the State of Baden-Württemberg and covers an area of 35,752 square kilometres with a population of around 10.7 million people (see Figure 8.3). A typical feature of the state is its wide variety of natural landscapes which can be subdivided into three main landforms, the Upper Rhine Graben (Oberrheingraben) in the west surrounded by the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in the east and the Vosges Mountains (Vogesen) on the western French side, the southwestern cuesta landscape (Schichtstufenland) gently sloping towards the south-east as well as the Alpine piedmont (Alpenvorland). These diverse and distinct landscapes form the resource base of tourism, and, in some cases, like the jurassic geopark Swabian Alb and the mining areas of the Black Forest, also for geotourism (Geyer and Megerle, 2003). The service sector industries contribute almost 34 per cent to the state’s economic activities with tourism being an important industry for the state in general, but especially economically significant for regional areas.