Aims

Structure

Members

Activities reports

Coordinator: José Brilha

The main objectives of this research group are distributed by 3 main targets:


• A. Protected areas/Nature and Archaeological Conservation/Land-use planning:
  • Development of a methodology to assess geodiversity and to calculate a geodiversity index adapted to be used as a tool in protected areas management and land-use planning;
  • Assessment of the geodiversity index for all protected areas of Norte and Alentejo regions;
  • Definition of the relation between the type and location of human occupation since the Bronze Age, the cultural elements (engravings and others)and the geological and geomorphological characteristics of natural environment in NW Iberia;
  • Development and application of field-based non-destructive geophysical and analytical methodologies to the in-situ and remote investigation of archaeological sites and cultural heritage studies.
    
    
• B. Resources to promote sustainable tourism based on natural and cultural interpretation
  • Assessment of the tourism potential value of geosites located inside protected areas of Norte and Alentejo regions;
  • Development of innovative tools using e-contents to be used by mobile devices assuring multilingual resources to support nature and archaeological interpretation in protected areas and in other geosites and archaeosites.
    
    
• C. Geoscience education and dissemination
  • Development of geoeducational resources to engage students and incorporating inquiry and problem-based learning to develop thinking geoscientists in the classroom.
  • Elaboration of educational resources to go beyond simply hands-on activities but emphasizing and incorporating inquiry in the geoscience classrooms. This aim can be supported by the “SEAC.2.2014” call.
  • Development of socio-economic studies specially focused in the sustainable development of mining areas after mine closure (link with RG No. 2).

  • Planning and developmentof activities and strategies to incorporate geoethics issues in middle and secondary geoscience curriculum and textbooks.

  • Production of innovative resources for Earth Sciencesdiffusion in close cooperation with the Estremoz Science Centre. This aim is well integrated in the “SEAC.1.2014.2015” call.

  • Establishment of a Media Centre in cooperation with the main national media. This centre aims to help media to diffuse news concerning Earth Science events,processes and natural disasters with scientific accuracy and using a simple language.

A thematic line (TL) is associated with this research group: Geoheritage and Geoconservation.