Geosite and Geomorphosite Assessment as a Tool for Geoconservation and Geotourism Purposes: a Case Study from Vizovická vrchovina Highland (Eastern Part of the Czech Republic)

The geoheritage of the Czech Republic presents a basis for geoconservation and geotourism activities which have a long tradition in the region. Sites of geological and geomorphological interest have been appreciated for a long time, and from the nineteenth century, some have been declared as protected. The first official list of protected sites was created during the 1930s, and in 1956, the first law on nature conservation was approved. Today, nature conservation is covered by the Act 114/1992 Coll. that enables landscapes, karst features, minerals, and fossils to be protected as well as the establishment of protected areas. In addition, there are many other geoconservation assessments, e.g., the database of the geological sites or the network of the national geoparks. In the National Parks, Protected Landscape Areas or geoparks, the promotion of geosites and geomorphosites is well developed. However, outside these areas, the promotion and use of sites for geotourism purposes is relatively poor, although it is obvious that they can represent a source for geotourism activities that can foster local economic development. For finding out which sites are suitable for geotourism development, a simple method was proposed and the selected sites of the Vizovicka vrchovina Highland (Czech Republic) were assessed. Based on this, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified. The assessment and the following analysis of the area can serve as a basis for the future proposals for geotourist use of the sites.