Geoheritage Resilience Assessment for Geoconservation Planning in Lorestan Province, Iran

This study is an initial attempt to introduce the concept of geoheritage resilience, which refers to the capacity of a geosite and its system to absorb, adapt, or resist disturbances, and to consider it in geoconservation planning. Assessing the resilience of geoheritage sites is crucial for managing, protecting and developing sustainable geotourism that requires a specific approach and methodology. Therefore, this research aims to propose a comprehensive method based on criteria and indicators to measure the resilience of geoheritage sites and implement it in the most significant geosites of Lorestan province through literature review and fieldwork. The proposed method is based on 5 criteria and 22 indicators. Each indicator is measured based on 5 parameters and calculations are performed using the corresponding equations. The results of the geoheritage resilience assessment, using the proposed method, indicate that various geological, hydroclimatic, ecological, anthropogenic, and geotourism disturbances have led to a reduction the resilience of the geosites studied. According to the results, Calder Cave and Shirz Canyon geosites have a high level of resilience with final scores of 65.62 and 62.62, respectively. In contrast, Bisheh Waterfall and Pol-e Dokhtar Lakes have a low level of resilience with scores of 46.73 and 35.51, respectively. These two geosites are affected by natural and human disturbances, which require effective management, protection, and improvement of their resilience levels. This study has also provided a basic conceptual model to illustrate the planning process for enhancing and promoting geoheritage resilience through geoconservation planning. Given the importance of geoheritage and the potential threats, it is very important to pay attention to the concept of resilience and the measurement of geoheritage resilience in geoconservation planning for sustainable scientific, educational and geotourism use.