Angel Prieto’s scientific contributions

Geoconservation is a key piece in geoheritage. The program ‘Save a Rock’, implemented from 2017 inside the Spanish Inventory of Geological Sites (IELIG in Spanish), has become a national initiative for geoheritage protection. It involves and mobilize citizens by making them aware of their decisive role in conservation. Actions aimed at the conservation of geosites (Sites of Geological Interest –LIG in Spanish–) by citizens can be structured in three areas of work: knowledge, awareness and participation. The ‘Save a Rock’ program has created a network of volunteers willing to report on the conservation status of the geosites they want to preserve at least once a year or when they detect any threat or alteration. We herein show the most popular sites and provide statistical data on participation in the program after its first 15 months of operation at national level. We also describe the improvements that have been made, the weaknesses detected, and some of the tasks that are planned to be carried out in the near future.

A public stewardship programme: ‘Watch over a rock’ or ‘Adopt a rock’ is a national volunteering programme established in 2017 by the Geological Survey of Spain (IGME) to promote the conservation of Spanish geoheritage through a follow-up stewardship system. The original idea was launched in 2011 at a local level by the Geology Association of Segovia to promote the stewardship of geosites in this province (Vegas et al., 2012; Díez-Herrero et al., 2012; Gutiérrez et al., 2015), and now, under this new national programme, it extends to all the Geological Sites of Interest (LIG) in Spain undertaken by the institution in charge of geoconservation at the national level. Through a simple registration system, any person may watch over a place of geological interest that, for its scientific, educational or touristic value, that person thinks it is worthwhile to be preserved. Their motivation to watch over it does not matter: because it is close to their town or where they spend vacations and go there frequently, because they have studied it, or simply because they like it. Any reason is good to encourage them to do so. Once they accept being a ‘godfather or godmother of a rock’ (strict translation of the Spanish motto ‘Apadrina una roca’), they accept a minimum commitment with the LIG, which greatly helps its conservation: they must watch over the site and care for it.