Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
method for identifying and conserving sites of geoheritage
signi
systematic inventory-based conservation of sites of scienti
c
interest in the 1900s, to heritage theme-based geoconserva-
tion of sites of special scienti
cance. This recognition has led to the advancement of
geoconservation methods, and the development of categories
such as Sites of Special Scienti
c interest as well as cultural
and aesthetic sites in the late 1900s and early 2000s in a
whole-of-government planning and management endeavour;
(b) how culturally-important sites of geoheritage signi
c Interest
(SSSI), and
assessment of site signi
cance (local, regional, national,
international) requiring different levels of protection. In
addition, there is now community involvement in protecting
sites of geoheritage signi
cance
were separated from intrinsically important (scienti
c) sites
of geoheritage, from reference sites and teaching sites, which
are important matters in the arena of geoheritage; and (c)
how pragmatically and sociopolitically Britain tackled the
issues of geoheritage and geoconservation, culminating in
inventory-based classi
cance, and local to large-scale
geotourism based on geoheritage. As a result, Britain pro-
vides an interesting history in geoconservation in its national
endeavour and stands as a case study for geoheritage prac-
titioners (Brocx
2008
).
While the objective of this paper is to highlight nodal
points in the history of the development of the science of
geology, leading to an appreciation of geoheritage, geo-
conservation, and geoparks, it is beyond the scope of this
paper to acknowledge all the outstanding contributions of
individual philosophers and geologists everywhere. This
would be the subject of a topic involving years of research.
Although the meanings of
cation and selection of sites of geo-
heritage signi
cance, and the enactment of the CRoW Act
(
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
) that ensured
important geological sites were protected regardless of land
tenure. These latter aspects of geoheritage and geoconser-
vation and how they unfolded historically are important
issues in that they provide a case study for a global approach
to geoconservation, as each country has its own part in the
story of the
the terms
“
history
”
and
nally, this paper
highlights nodal points that have been instrumental in pro-
gressing geoconservation globally.
The names for Great Britain, England, the British Isles
and the United Kingdom are often used interchangeably,
however,
“
memory of the Earth
”
. And
“
have changed over time, nonetheless there has
been a coherent tradition in the development of the science
of Geology, where each generation of philosophers and
“
geology
”
cite previous works and those of historians of
science. However, it should be noted that these
scientists
”
“
”
“
”
“
”
histories
,isa
single island (comprising England, Scotland and Wales),
located in the northwest of continental Europe and east of
Ireland. The British Isles encompass Great Britain, the island
of Ireland, and several other smaller islands, such as the Isle
of Man; the United Kingdom, often shortened to the UK, is a
country that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and
Northern Ireland the of
Great Britain
, often shortened to
Britain
have led to (but are not equivalent to) today
s standard lit-
erature reviews in assessing the state of the art of any geo-
logical and other scienti
'
c subject matter. Scientists clearly
saw the writing of history as an important task (Laudan
1993
).
The history outlined in this paper traverses the develop-
ment of civilisation and initial utilitarian use of natural
resources to the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution
(the latter transforming much of Britain from farming
communities to mining and factory-based endeavours with
workers living in towns and cities; Brown (
1988
), to the
coining of terms such as
cial name of which is
“
United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
. These
names are
not
used interchangeably in this paper; however,
this may not be the case in some of the works cited. Also, in
this paper we refer to Great Britain simply as Britain.
”
, to the
intellectual revolutions in Earth dogma in the various dis-
ciplines and sub-disciplines of the geological sciences, to
modern-day inventory-based geoconservation. The authors
hope that the historical events outlined in this paper will be
the stimulus for further publications expanding on the body
of work herein.
The objectives of this paper are three-fold. Firstly, it
outlines a brief history of geological endeavours, geological
awareness, geoheritage and geoconservation from the
beginning of civilisation to the present, showing a long-term
and evolving awareness of the importance of geology to
human cultures, and secondly,
“
geology
”
and
“
scientist
”
2
A Brief History of Geological
Endeavours, Geoheritage
and Geoconservation
Traditionally, the history of geology, geoheritage, geocon-
servation, and geoparks is a journey that is presented in the
literature as either beginning in the late 17th century (as a
precursor to the curiosity and explosion of scienti
c dis-
coveries made in the 18th and 19th centuries, during the
Industrial Revolution by major
”
such as Brongniart and Cuvier from France, de la Beche,
Hutton, Lyell, Murchison, Sedgwick, Smith from the Brit-
ain, and Steno from Denmark and Werner from Germany)
or, alternatively, beginning at
“
geological personalities
it outlines the history of
geoconservation speci
cally using Britain as an example (a)
showing how the awareness of the cultural importance of
geoheritage increased over time, viz., from early curiosity, to
the ad hoc conservation of fossil sites in the 1800s, to a more
the time of
the Ancient
Greeks.
