The landscape of science communication and public engagement in UNESCO Global Geoparks Joana Rodrigues, Elsa Costa e Silva, Diamantino Insua Pereira International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks, 2025 UNESCO Global Geoparks are unique platforms for communicating science and geoscience, especially in the context of contemporary environmental challenges. These territories are outstanding models for promoting environmental stewardship and fostering community engagement. To address a research gap in understanding science communication within geoparks, this study explored the theoretical framework behind science communication, discussing key principles and strategies. The results revealed a diverse landscape with a wide spectrum of approaches, showing progress and opportunities, yet challenges persisted, including inconsistent frameworks and the prevalence of deficit-model thinking. Trends indicated increasing adoption of participatory and community-focused initiatives, although these were unevenly implemented. The study concluded that while geoparks had made significant contributions to science communication and sustainability, their impact could be enhanced through more consistent and participatory strategies that actively involved communities, strengthening their role as global models for environmental stewardship and public engagement.
Contributions from the extractive industry to the understanding, identification, and conservation of geoheritage in UNESCO Global Geoparks Silas Samuel dos Santos Costa, Manu Monge-Ganuzas, Diamantino Insua Pereira, Marcos Antonio Leite do Nascimento Episodes, 2025 Resource extraction and nature conservation are often seen as opposing concepts.Traditionally, from the viewpoint of nature conservationists, they are only positively associated when rehabilitation efforts are made to restore biodiversity in degraded lands due to extractive activities.Despite these conflicting relationships, in UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps), mining and quarrying can act as opening windows in the Earth's surface exposing geoheritage.This study aims to identify the contributions of extractive activities to identifying and protecting geoheritage within the context of the 213 UGGps designated by UNESCO.The methods included: i) mapping of geography, geoheritage, and mining variables from documentary and bibliographic review; ii) fieldwork; ii) descriptive statistics and linear regression techniques.53% of UGGps presented their geoheritage features fully or partially exposed by mining or quarrying environments.Over the 20 years of the Global Geopark Network (GGN), the proportion of UGGps with geoheritage features revealed by extractive activities has increased.Paleontological, stratigraphical, igneous, tectonic, mineralogical, and cosmogenic geoheritage interests are the most frequently exposed by extractive activities.Mining and quarrying activities and their association with geoheritage exposures can be fundamental in developing projects in UGGps, global cooperation for sustainability, policies for rehabilitating degraded areas, and partnerships within the mineral industry.
Profiling the geoscience community: exploring patterns of science communication and public engagement Joana Rodrigues, Cecília Castro, Elsa Costa e Silva, Diamantino Insua Pereira Journal of Science Communication, 2025 This research investigates how members of the geoscience community in Portugal perceive and engage in science communication, identifying distinct patterns and practitioner profiles. Statistical analysis and a clustering algorithm were used to identify communication patterns based on practitioners' communication goals, target audiences, training, and self-efficacy. The results align with expected patterns but provide new empirical evidence of the relationship between communication goals and audience targeting, offering specific data for the geoscience community.
Science Communication Practices in UNESCO Global Geoparks: A Benchmark Analysis Joana Rodrigues, Elsa Costa e Silva, Diamantino Ínsua Pereira Geosciences Switzerland, 2025 UNESCO Global Geoparks address global environmental challenges and advance Sustainable Development Goals. As renowned institutions in geoscience communication, they are instrumental in raising awareness and promoting sustainable practices. However, there has been a notable lack of systematic research in this area. This study aims to fill this gap by benchmarking science communication strategies employed by Geoparks, identifying best practices and critical factors and offering data-driven insights to enhance management and strategic planning. The key findings of this study underscore the necessity for improved engagement and the adoption of more interactive and inclusive communication approaches. The research also reveals a significant disparity between current practices and contemporary trends in science communication.
Principles of science communication in UNESCO Global Geoparks: A framework for effective engagement with geoscience Joana Rodrigues, Elsa Costa e Silva, Diamantino Insua Pereira Journal of Geoscience Education, 2025 UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps) integrate geoconservation with sustainable development, serving as platforms for science communication and public engagement. Despite their societal relevance, there remains a lack of structured frameworks to guide effective science communication in these territories. Addressing this gap, the present study proposes an evidence-based framework tailored specifically to the context and challenges of UGGps. Building on prior research and comparative case studies, the framework is structured around 18 guiding principles, organized into five key dimensions focused on strategic planning, meaningful engagement, and continuous improvement. The framework was assessed through alignment with different sets of indicators for science communication and UNESCO guidelines, demonstrating strong alignment and contextual relevance. By positioning Geoparks as dynamic spaces for public engagement and offering a tailored tool for their unique context, this research contributes to improving environmental awareness, public engagement, and policy influence, reinforcing Geoparks’ role in advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals. Although designed for UGGps, the framework is adaptable to other protected areas, UNESCO-designated sites, and wider geoscience communication contexts.
Identifying Optimal Cell Size for Geodiversity Quantitative Assessment with Richness, Diversity and Evenness Indices Catarina Lopes, Zara Teixeira, Diamantino I. Pereira, Paulo Pereira Resources, 2023 The importance of quantitatively assessing the spatial patterns of geodiversity, and their intrinsic relationship with biodiversity and the ecosystem services provided to society, has been signalized by several authors, due to the relevance of this information in territorial management, the planning of environmental and conservation strategies. Within geodiversity method assessments, the grid system is the most widely used GIS spatial approach to calculate a geodiversity index. Preferred for its simplicity, it implies the fundamental decision of choosing the scale of the analysis, defined by the selection of cell size, determinant for the accuracy and correctness of the final maps. Although this topic has been occasionally approached by some authors within geodiversity assessments, there is no formal procedure for cell size selection. This is a key issue, and, in the scope of the present work, an empirical procedure to select optimal cell size(s) was tested on the national scale in Portugal, in lithology and geomorphology datasets. The quantitative method based on geodiversity indices was applied, using richness, diversity and evenness indices, in a hexagonal analytical grid, through eight cell dimensions. Several descriptive statistical parameters were analyzed, with particular emphasis on dispersion statistical measures. Optimal cell size corresponded to the minimum cell size, once dispersion values were significatively reduced or stabilized, and distributions from evenness and diversity indices were closer to symmetry, which provided more accurate results and higher spatial differentiation, although the final decision should always consider the main purposes of the analysis.
Natural monuments of viana do castelo: Designation and valuation processes Comunicacoes Geologicas, 2014
Quaternary coastal deposits of NW Portugal (Minho – Neiva area): Characterization, dating and paleoenvironmental interpretation Comunicacoes Geologicas, 2014
Combinated LM-SEM method for palynomorphs study Comunicacoes Geologicas, 2009
Floodplain sediments of the Tagus River, Portugal: assessing avulsion, channel migration and human impact Sedimentary Processes Environments and Basins A Tribute to Peter Friend, 2009
