Heritage recognition of active geomorphological processes: The challenges of geoconservation beyond landforms

The recognition of geomorphosites as heritage sites is often based on an assessment of their heritage values conducted by scientists, and many methodological proposals have been published in the last two decades to achieve this evaluation. However, the criteria defined in these methods are primarily designed to assess the heritage values of the landforms themselves, focusing mainly on the static aspects of geomorphosites and often overlooking the dynamic processes that are integral to their formation and ongoing evolution. In this article, we define specific criteria for evaluating the heritage values of active processes and discuss four issues related to their protection: (1) defining the functional perimeter, (2) managing natural hazards, (3) determining the relevance of conserving an active geomorphological system in its current state, and (4) deciding whether it is more important to protect the landforms or the processes. Through three case studies in the Swiss Alps, the results show that an ideal management practice would be to maintain the natural dynamics and rate of change of geomorphological processes, with exceptions when they have a negative impact on landforms of higher heritage value than the processes, or when they threaten human life or infrastructure.