Organized by: Laura León, PhD, Sofía Lis Llopiz, and Marina Lema, Mg.
The proposed symposium is structured around two thematic tracks: Geoconservation/Geological Heritage and Geo-Outreach, to be held over two days featuring keynote lectures, presentations, roundtables, and courses/workshops (to be confirmed), with participation from local and international professionals (to be confirmed) and the support of renowned international organizations. The Geoconservation/Geological Heritage track aims to bring together specialists and interested audiences to share experiences related to Nature and Heritage Conservation. It is envisioned as a forum to present and debate, from a comprehensive perspective, the range of strategies and challenges in these fields in San Juan, Argentina, and worldwide. The program will highlight projects, proposals, and outcomes in which geoconservation plays a critical role in addressing urgent issues such as geological hazard mitigation, climate change, preservation of geo- and biodiversity, heritage protection, tourism diversification, Earth science education, research, and community well-being, among others.
The symposium will also showcase the diversity of strategies implemented by professionals working in geoconservation and heritage management under various public and private jurisdictions—municipal, provincial, and national—including Protected Natural Areas, Geoparks, and related frameworks. This track seeks to foster dialogue, debate, and practical solutions to the challenges of geodiversity conservation, promoting more efficient implementation mechanisms and strengthening institutional, academic, legislative, and public policy efforts.
The Outreach track is conceived as an open and transparent forum to explore and acknowledge this discipline and its growing impact across cultural, tourism, environmental, and public safety spheres. Argentina is currently at an early epistemological stage in this area; despite numerous initiatives—many sustained independently and with significant effort—the lack of coordination, institutional structure, and regulatory frameworks, even within the geological community itself, limits its projection and impact in a rapidly evolving global context. In a world shaped by digital platforms, formats, and dynamics that require specialized competencies, geology cannot afford to overlook outreach and conservation as integral components of the discipline. This symposium will address the necessary recognition of the rights, responsibilities, and multifactorial scope of professionals engaged in geology through outreach and conservation, as a first step toward reducing the current lack of multisectoral frameworks. It will present the national landscape—its achievements, strengths, and contrasts with international standards—and advocate for solutions through collaboration with experts from other regions, aiming to strengthen professional networks and position these issues within the public agenda, particularly among authorities responsible for academic, institutional, and legal frameworks. The symposium will provide a foundation for advancing these fields, promoting specialized training, and encouraging support from other areas of geology and the broader community.
