Page 117 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

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Volcano Tourism – Central and

South American Examples

Henry Gaudru that fact is amply demonstrated by the millions of
visitors from all over the world who visit each
Introduction: Tourism in year the great and small geologic and volcanic
volcano national parks parks and their associated museums.
The main focus in the protection of natural areas
around the Earth has been in the context of Volcanoes of Central America
preserving landscape beauty, natural heritage, Central America makes up a part of ‘The Pacific
unique biological habitat or recreation. More Ring of Fire’. This extends all the way to New
recently, geology and volcanology has emerged Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, Japan,
at the forefront of interest for many protected then north across Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands
areas (Eder and Patzak, 2004). This approach of of Alaska, North America, Central and South
crediting a park’s existence to its geologic- America (Chapter 1). In the Americas five
volcanologic landscape seems intuitive, since tectonic plates interact: the North America,
many of the volcanic parks in the world exist Cocos, Caraïbes, Nazca and South American
because of their particular geological features. In plates. Most active volcanoes in Central America
this sense, their main purpose is to preserve occur in belts produced by subduction of the
geological heritage for future generations, educate small Cocos Plate beneath the North American
and teach the public about issues in the geological and the western edge of the Caribbean Plate, and
sciences and environmental approach, and ensure trend parallel to the strike of the subducting
sustainable tourism for many countries in the Cocos Plate. The volcanic front in Central
world. These parks are also a pedagogical tool for America is a chain, made of right-stepping linear
environmental education, training and inter- segments, 100 to 300km in length. Volcanoes
disciplinary research related to geoscientific cluster into centres, whose spacing is random but
disciplines, the understanding of broader environ- averages about 27km. Large andesitic strat-
mental issues, and for sustainable development. ovolcanoes and silicic caldera are found in this
The implementation of a national park or a region and also many basaltic fields, particularly
preserved area allows tourism to have an in the Central Valley of Mexico and along the
immediate positive impact upon an area by Guatemala–El Salvador border. Volcanism has an
improving living conditions of the rural important impact on the region as was learned
environment, strengthening identification of the with the recent and violent eruption of the El
population within their area, and triggering a Chichon volcano in 1982 in Mexico, but can also
cultural renaissance. The geologic patrimony be seen in the numerous volcanic national parks
constitutes a repaid investment in tourism terms; of the region (Table 7.1).

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