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THE FUTURE OF GEOCONSERVATION
The Geologists’ Association is staging a two-day meeting on the theme Geoconservation for Science and Society: An Agenda for the 21st Century. The event will take place on 9-10 September 2011 at the University of Worcester. Details of the provisional programme are available as a pdf here, and further information and a registration form are available at www.geologistsassociation.org.uk/conferences.html
The BIG picture of Local Geological Sites in England
Since 1990 there has been a steady growth in the number of Local Geological Sites (then known as RIGS). In 1993 there were 1388 Local Geological Sites notified to local authorities throughout England and by 1998 this had risen to over 2000 for England, Scotland and Wales. In 2006 a comprehensive survey of Local Geoconservation Groups in England boosted this number to 2577. This survey raised concerns that there was no centrally held, or consistent, data on these sites; there was a range of boundary formats (from paper records to GIS) and no knowledge of their condition. As of December 2010, 3065 Local Geological Sites are represented in the database and condition data is available for almost 50%. A map showing the extent of the sites is available here.
To read how the database is producing comparable data for various Local Geological Sites, download Earth Heritage 35 and see pages 6 and 7.
GeoFest 2010
The Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark GeoFest is under way. A big programme of events in Herefordshire and Worcestershire contains something for most age groups, ranging from guided walks to fossil roadshows. Full details are contained in a leaflet, downloadable as a pdf file from www.geopark.org.uk/blog/NewsEvents/GeoFest2010
In-depth look at limestone
The Geological Society of London this month publishes 'Limestone in the Built Environment: Present-Day Challenges for the Preservation of the Past', edited by B. J. Smith, M. Gomez-Heras, H. A. Viles and J. Cassar. Limestone is a highly successful and widely used building material. Whilst its success reflects its durability, there are still important questions surrounding the selection, use and conservation of building limestones. This 272-page volume brings together recent inter-disciplinary research.
ISBN: 978-1-86239-294-6. List price is £85 with concessions for qualifying societies. It can be ordered online from http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/bookshop