Article: The Problem of Reconciling Geological Collecting and Conservation

The existing and projected threats to the continued conservation of important geological localities are shown to come from both industrial development and from geologists themselves, with the great increase in fieldwork activities, and commercial exploitation of scientifically valuable specimens being the main factors involved. The history and practice of geological conservation in Britain are reviewed briefly, and the various methods available to combat the threats are described. These include the production of a nation-wide inventory of geological localities, which is then used to identify alternative sites which can relieve the pressure on existing over-used ones; the production and publication of guides to these alternative sites; and an increase in physical management of geological localities by the conservation agencies.