an example of a prototype

Tasmanian Eagle Geopark

Introduction• Related document:“Geotourism development in Australia: the need for geopark prototypes”

–about:• the implementation of the geopark-concept• in the Australian Way

• To be found on:

http://www.leisuresolutions.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Geotourism_strat_Aus.pdf

A Geopark prototype• Based on a regional initiative (for example a GeoTrail)

• Cooperation between:– stakeholders • governments, landowners and landmanagers

– partners from different disciplines• geology, ecology, culture, education, tourism, environment

and the agricultural and mining sector

• Creation of:a- an imaginative areab- with imaginary boundariesc- that’s easy identifiable d- and has good marketability

The Living EarthWest Coast Tasmania GeoTrail

• Regional initiative and partnership of:– Mineral Resources Tasmania– West Coast Council– Department of State Growth, Tasmania

• Collection of 16 sites of geological, natural and cultural interest

- For a better understanding and appreciation of the geological processes which formed the rocks and the landscapes - To show how man has interacted with the geology and the landscape

=> How to design a Geopark prototype, based on the GeoTrail?

a- An imaginative areaPrototype:an imaginative design that has a story to tell:

- Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle- Australia’s largest bird of prey and one of the largest eagles in the world- an endemic Tasmanian subspecies, listed as endangered

b- With imaginary boundaries

• A connected area of:– all current sites (16) of The Living Earth GeoTrail– incl. Mount Heemskirk Regional Reserve – incl. the towns of

• Strahan, Queenstown, Rosebery, Tullah and Zeehan

• Resulting in:– an ‘Tasmanian Wedge-Tailed Eagle’ shaped land form– with imaginary boundaries

c- Easy to identify and good marketability• Easy to identify

– By its shape– Eagle is a majestic symbol of the Tasmanian sky

– By link with area• Tasmanian Wedge-Tailed Eagle:

– West Coast is a foraging habitat– West Coast has a few nesting areas – Eagle is subject of Recovery Plans (Forest Practices plans)

– By link with name• Tasmanian Eagle Geopark, or• Nairana Geopark (Tasmanian Aborigines name for this eagle = Nairana)

• Good marketability– simple, distinctive, recognizable, advertisable and visualizable– possibility to become an individual famous brand

Geopark organization• Geoparks are organized around expeditions and storylines.

• Expeditions are created in order to tell the story of the region in an entertaining manner.

• Each expedition has its own storyline or theme and starts for instance at an expedition gate at a visitors center, a look out, a museum etc.

• The expeditions feature hotspots: places where the story is visually illustrated for the visitor.

(with the Tasmanian Eagle as our virtual guide)

Potential expeditions and storylines (1)1. Rocks

– about the rock formations that have been created during several geological periods – and about the conditions under which they were formed (climates)– in areas with outcrop representing those geological periods

2. Minerals– about the mineral richdom of the West Coast– and about the way these minerals were formed on earth or dropped from space (gold?)– at sites where minerals are/have been exploited or are exhibited

3. Glaciation – about the glacial history from mid-Pleistocene to the last Glacial Maximum– and the way glaciation formed the current landscape of the West Coast– in areas where the results of glaciation are visible

4. Endemic Species– about the region’s biodiversity that’s of exceptional biological and paleoecological

interest– as a result of the geographical and genetical isolation of Tasmania for long periods– at sites where fossils have been located or existing species are observable

Potential expeditions and storylines (2)5. Human Settlement

– about the arrival of humans from the mainland (last glacial period)– and the Tasmanian Aboriginal culture in this region– at sites representing depositories of Tasmania’s Aboriginal cultural heritage

6. Mining – about the development of mining in the region– and the related West Coast mining culture – at current or former mining sites

7. Water– about the benefits of water in the area (electricity, agriculture, mining)– and the management of water and related problems (pollution)– at sites that are related to water management

8. Climate Change– about the expected impacts (extreme rainfall, higher temperatures, sea level rise)– and the ways the region can assimilate to these changing conditions– at vulnerable sites where the effects can be studied or explained (beaches, dunes, rivers)

The Tasmanian Eagle or Nairana Geopark

• will bring positive thinking to the West Coast to give local people the will and foresight to create something very special and beneficial.

• is the ultimate chance to create and to maintain a vast, tight and durable network of actors from the West Coast, that is needed

– to realise the (geotourism) potential that the West Coast really has; and

– to challenge the regional problems of our time (pollution) and of future generations (climate change).