Analytic operational procedure on value and vulnerability of Piemonte’s palaeontological geosites (Northwest Italy)

Cinzia Ragni¹, Andrea Faggi², Piero Damarco³, Saverio Bartolini Lucenti^2,4 & Edoardo Martinetto^1
1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso, 35, 10125 Torino TO, Italy.
²Paleo[Fab]Lab, Earth Science Department, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze, Italy.
³Museo Paleontologico Territoriale dell’Astigiano, Corso Vittorio Alfieri, 381, 14100 Asti, Italy.
⁴Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
Corresponding author e-mail: cinzia.ragni@unito.it

Geo-palaeontological sites are essential for scientific inquiry, education, conservation, cultural preservation, and even economic development. This study revisits 30 geo-palaeontological sites in the Piemonte region, originally assessed in 2004 thanks to the collaboration of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Turin, the Museo Paleontologico Territoriale dell’Astigiano and the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali of Turin. The updated site descriptions here provided incorporate new discoveries. The sites were re-examined using an innovative analytical framework recently developed by the palaeontological team of the University of Florence. This re-evaluation not only provides a deeper understanding of each site condition but also offers practical guidelines for the use of this method, making the results accessible to non-specialists involved in geosite management. The findings indicate that while few sites are at immediate risk of degradation, several warrant further conservation efforts. The study aims to inform and support the development of new regional policies for enhancing the preservation and promotion of both historical and newly identified geosites in the Piemonte region.

geo-palaeontological heritage protection, preventive palaeontology, regional census.