Life and Nature RO: Geotourism - a lever for sustainable rural development in Buzău County

luni, 19 august 2013

Geotourism - a lever for sustainable rural development in Buzău County

We all know what tourism is, and perhaps some of its purposes: recreation, business, exploring new places. But when we hear about geotourism, what we tend to think for the first time?

Geotourism is that branch of tourism that aims to promote geological heritage of an area, but based on the principle of sustainable development.

Buzau County area has an impressive and complex geological structure, which is known for some geological phenomena which are unique in the country and some of them even in Europe: fossils of millions of years old, salt caves, freshwater lakes on a salty massive, volcanic tuffs, the Living Fire. These geological phenomena may help geotourism development in the area, but may also have a role in education and research activities. Buzau County area where it can be practiced geotourism could include the following municipalities: Vintilă Voda, Manzalesti and Lopătari, areas where geodiversity is of great wealth. Thus, the village Vintilă Voda, more exactly Slanicului Buzau Valley, is characterized by a series of fossils (bivalve: Sarmatimactra caspia, Sarmatimactra bulgarica, gastropods: Viviparus rumanus, V. moldavicus, Melanopsis sp.). Manzalesti commune area includes a geosite declared a natural monument of geological interest - The White Stone "La Grunj" (volcano tuff formed by subaerian erosion) and a nature reserve and also a Natura 2000 site "The Meledic Plateau", with the following highlights: salt mountain, halophilous vegetation, freshwater lakes, or Pontic Mediterranean species like: termites and scorpions. Lopătari village is characterized by a unique phenomenon in our country: Living Fire, and also by the presence of other beauties such as Mociaru Lake.

To develop tourism in the area, there should be a proper marketing, ecotourism marketing for a consumer to provide true and accurate travel information that may lead to the development of respect for the natural (geological) heritage into the future Geopark. Therefore, I consider that the most important ways to promote geotourism can be achieved through ecotourism (nature activities, but based on the principles of nature conservation and sustainable development), but also through educational and cultural rural tourism (visiting and knowledge of the tourists agro farms near geological sites, presenting stories and legends of the stones). However, I think that would be a great idea to propose tourist routes (a geological and agritouristic route): Vintilă Voda (Slanicului of Buzau Valley - an area with valuable fossils) - Manzalesti (White Stone "La Grunj" and Plateau Meledic Reserve) - Lopătari (Living Fire). Thematic routes could also lead to the knowledge of geodiversity: outdoor lessons, interactive travel on certain topics, promotion of intangible cultural heritage (stories and legends behind geological sites). An important role in the development of tourism and geotourism in the area, is also the involvement of local communities, encouraging local small businesses, creating specific brands in the area for drinks and food and handicraft products.

Another nice activity for tourists and at the same time helping to promote the geological sites in the area is Geocaching. Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity in which participants use GPS devices to find or hide containers (which include a notebook and a pen where guests sign), which are called "geocaches". Although this activity is not very well known in our country, Geocaching developed a lot in the last few years all over the world.