[O-08] How to make the image of the earth's phenomenon to the general people in the Geopark

[O08-P07] The evaluation of geosites in Sanriku Geopark

*Sho Nagata¹, Hideo Takagi² (1.Waseda University, 2.Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University)

Keywords:geosite, evaluation, geopark, Sanriku Geopark

The Sanriku Geopark is the largest national geopark in Japan and involves geodiversity and also remains of repeated Tsunami disasters. It was established in 2013 after the big Tsunami disaster in March 2011. Its geopark status was extended after the review in 2017, however, the result was "yellow card" (next requalification within 2 years), therefore the next review will be scheduled in 2019. The purpose of this study is to evaluate geosites selected from the perspective of various values, highlight their advantages and issues to be considered, and finally contribute to the management of the Sanriku Geopark through presenting this study. In order to attain this purpose, research has been conducted for 65 geosites from 48 areas (previous geosites). They are assessed from the perspective of six main values; educational value, scientific value, tourism value, safety and accessibility, conservation and site sustainability, and value of tourism information (Suzuki and Takagi, 2017). After showing advantage and issues to be considered for each geosites, this study lists up various problems to be considered and presents ways to make the Sanriku Geopark more attractive for many tourists.
Reference: Suzuki, D. A. and Takagi, H., 2017, Geoheritage, 10, 123-135.