The potential of permanent gullies in Europe as geomorphosites

Geotourism is a useful way to educate societies in the field of geomorphology and natural hazards. Geosites, including geomorphosites, represent the basis for the development of this type of tourism. This study describes twelve representative gully regions within nine European countries. The characteristics of 42 permanent gullies, gully systems and badland landscapes are presented and a geotouristic assessment of these gullies was made, based on scientific, educational, functional and touristic indicators. This assessment demonstrates a large difference between the selected gully sites, particularly with regard to functional and tourist values. The geotouristic potential of gullies is the highest in Italy and Spain and the lowest in Romania and Latvia. In some countries, permanent gullies are not regarded as geotouristic attractions at all, while in others they constitute a significant element of their tourism development strategy. Based on the analysis of scientific values of the gully sites, educational lessons to be learned were identified that are mainly related to i) gullies as a geological window, ii) present-day geomorphological processes, and iii) stages of historical gully erosion reflecting past human-environment interactions. These must be part of a broader strategy for the development of geotourism in gully regions. Gullies are potential geosites within existing or planned geoparks. Values of gullies for other forms of tourism (active, cultural, nature), should be also emphasized.