The conservation of Jurassic heritage in the UK – a critical review of current practice and effectiveness

• Autorzy: Page K. , Wimbledon W.
• Konferencja: International Congress on the Jurassic System (7 ; 06-18.09.2006 ; Kraków, Poland]
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

In 1949 the first concept of a protected geological site was introduced into UK law and within a few years the country had a network of such, now known as "Sites of Special Scientific Interest" (SSSIs). This initial law was strengthened in 1981, but in the meantime a systematic site selection process had also been established by the GB-wide Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) known as the Geological Conservation Review. This process led to the identification of over 3000 features of geological interest nationally (excluding Northern Ireland), including around 275 representing aspects of Jurassic stratigraphy and palaeontology. These "GCR" sites formed the basis for all subsequent geoconservation SSSI designation. Site conservation activity by the NCC was on a learning curve in the earlier days with the legal possibilities of the 1981 act being explored and techniques and philosophies being developed. Political moves, however, led to the fragmentation of the NCC in 1991 to established separate country conservation bodies in Scotland, Wales and England with a fourth to co-ordinate certain national and international activities. In Northern Ireland, however, nature conservation remained the responsibility of the Department of the Environment. With the establishment of these five separate organisations, policy and practice inevitably began to diverge. Wales established a regionalised distribution of geological advisors who take responsibility for much site-based casework. In Scotland, a small group of centrally based geologists provides advice, although in practice most casework is carried out by local, ecological, conservation officers. In England, however, a trend established towards the end of the NCC continued, with more and more key decisions being made by a centrally based group of geological advisors, with limited external scientific input. In addition, local, ecological conservation officers have increasingly been expected to not only give day to day advice on the management of geological sites, but also to set conservation objectives and monitor the same sites. These approaches have not only contributed to significant losses of key parts of several protected Jurassic sites and their contained palaeontological heritage, but also to a high level of under-recording of such damage. In October 2006, however, as a new organisation will take over nature conservation administration in England - "Natural England" - and the time is therefore right to rethink such approaches. Several proposed aims and objectives for the future will therefore be presented, which are not only of relevance to the UK as a whole, but also to the rest of Europe. It is ironic that in the 21st century in one of the countries that first established a systematic approach to geological conservation, especially site selection, significant damage to and losses of Jurassic heritage continue to be observed - a re-assessment of conservation strategies is therefore much needed.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

Jurassic; geoconservation; UK; natural heritage; GCR

• Wydawca: Państwowy Instytut Geologiczny - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy
• Czasopismo: Volumina Jurassica
• Rocznik: 2006
• Tom: Vol. 4, no. 1
• Strony: 254--254

Twórcy

autor

Page K.

autor

Wimbledon W.

• School of Earth, Ocean and Environmental Science, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK,