Geoparks and the territory musealization: a study of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero

Abstract

Over the last few years, geologists and the academic world have felt the need to publicize geological research and to make this science more accessible to the general public. These movements have grown stronger as they became associated to the need to conserve the geological heritage by means of educational information about the heritage value of rocks, fossils, minerals, landforms and the landscape in general. Based upon European cases, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) developed, from the late 1990's onwards, a program dedicated to the recognition and conservation of the world's geological heritage, called The Geoparks Program. One of the goals of this program is to make available to the general public, near geological sites and written in accessible language, the geo-ecological history of the Earth, which is the subject matter of Geology. This paper intends to develop the idea that the territory musealization with a rich geological heritage can be achieved through the creation of geoparks. This musealization can help build a more comprehensive and integrated vision of the socio-environmental issues, by providing the inter-relationships among environment, geology and society, and the integration of the specific knowledge of geology, museum science and education. The Quadrilátero Ferrífero is an area that can fit into UNESCO's concept of geopark, being internationally recognized as an important Precambrian terrain with meaningful mineral resources, particularly gold and iron. In this context, this paper presents the museums and their function in the protection of the heritage, as well as some of the initiatives and achievements around the world in the movement for the conservation of the geological heritage. It also discusses UNESCO's Geoparks Program and its potential to promote the transformation of such areas, and lists the geological sites of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero and their potential for the creation of a UNESCO geopark.