Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
4
Conclusion
geosites have the possibility of linking the geology to the
historical, cultural and archeological heritages. It has many
sacred geosites. In 2014, Jordan is working to set up its
In summary, Africa and the Middle East countries have
started to pay more attention to the signi
rst
geopark in Wadi Al Mujib based upon its geological rich
diversity, which extends from the Precambrian to Quater-
nary. The 66 km
2
cance of their
geoheritage and geodiversity. Some notable developments
related to geoconservation and geotourism have occurred in
both regions. The link of geoheritage to local socio-eco-
nomic sustainable development through the promotion of
geotourism within geoparks will help to increase the
awareness of the local population and decision makers about
the necessity of sustainable use of their geoheritage assets in
economic and social dynamics. In the absence of a legisla-
tion that allows the inventory, the conservation and the
economic utilization of geological sites in Africa and the
Middle East, the creation of geoparks could be an opportu-
nity to establish a local inventory and to institute local laws
to protect geoheritage of different regions in Africa. Pro-
tection of geoheritage within geoparks should further be
done through the education of the local population.
AGN in collaboration with AAWG and many local
stakeholders is creating the
proposed park meets the scienti
c
requirements in terms of rarity, outstanding scienti
c value
and beauty. However, the geoheritage and geosites in Jordan
have confronted many barriers, such as the accessibility and
infrastructure issues, the lack of awareness and information
about the local geoheritage and its value, the interpretation
issues, and the lack of sustainability of geoheritage.
3.9
Yemen
Yemen is a very rich country in geological and cultural
diversities; the geology of Yemen comprises a number of
geoheritage and geotourist sites of special scienti
c impor-
tance, rarity and beauty, and may not be solely of geological
signi
rst African geoparks in different
countries. Many projects are in progress.
cance but also of archaeological, ecological, historical
and cultural value. There is no doubt that geoconservation of
the geological heritage and care of the geotourism could play
a vital role in the socio-economic development of the
country, where we have noticed recently the deterioration of
important geological heritage, for example Protected Natural
areas such as Socotra Island and Bura
Acknowledgments
The rst conference on geoparks in Africa and
Middle East held in Morocco was supported by many national and
international organisations, such as the Choua
b Doukkali University
and Faculty of Sciences (El Jadida, Morocco), UNESCO, IUGS,
PETROCI Holding, the Oromin Joint Venture Group, the Doukkala-
Abda Region, CNRST, the French Embassy, AMST, and the El Jadida
Culture Direction, who all deserve credit and appreciation for their
support. We would also like to thank the scientic committee, the
organizing committee, members of the research group
ï
a mountains, in
addition to the caves, high mountain ranges, and remarkable
geological features such as ancient pillow lavas, dinosaur
foot prints,
'
“
G
é
odynamique,
lava
ows, glacial and polygonal structures,
G
é
o-
é
ducation et Patrimoine G
é
ologique, EGGPG
”
, the administrative
silici
ed wood, and other landscapes and ancient structures
such as Marib dam pay tribute to the magni
staff of the Choua
b Doukkali University and the Geology Department
colleagues for their support and their assistance during the preparation
of this special event. Special thanks go to the Moroccan Embassies
which facilitated visas for some participants from Africa and the Middle
East. The contributing authors acknowledge and thank their host
organizations and institutes for supporting work on this important issue.
Special thanks go to Pippa Haarhoff, manager of the West Coast Fossil
Park for having provided us with two photos from the park.
ï
cent feat of
early engineering and masonry techniques.
Yemen is facing challenges, because understanding and
awareness of geodiversity and geoconservation is limited,
and may be virtually non-existent. On the other hand, there
is lack of inventories of features of geological
interest
(geosites) developed with scienti
c rigor. Many relevant
sites of high geological value hold no protection at all. In
most cases, there is no adequate geological conservation
strategy being taken by the government who are responsible
for the implementation of nature conservation policies. The
non-existence of a systematic inventory of the geological
heritage and its adequate management may lead to the
de
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Yemen. Initiation of this work is immense and will lead us to
establish a Geopark in Yemen in near future.
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