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Geotouristic sites in Portugal must include, besides several interesting geomorphosites, the protected areas and landscapes, the natural monuments, the classified geosites, as well as the Geoparks.
The newly created Portuguese Geotourism Association (APGeotur) is devoted to do geotouristic maps of several Portuguese areas (municipalities, protected areas) and in addition to do the geotouristic sites survey. This aim is a long time project as it includes different scale geosites located either in continental Portugal or in the archipelagos of Madeira and Azores.
In continental Portugal there are several protection degrees and different levels of protected areas. Within the framework of the Portuguese Institute for Nature Conservation and Biodiversity (ICNB) the protected areas are grouped in: national parks (only one, Peneda-Gers, the Northwestern galaico-portuguese mountain); natural parks (13 areas); natural reserves (10 areas); protected landscapes (6 areas) and natural monuments (5 places). For the moment we have only one Geopark, Geopark Naturtejo da Meseta Meridional, recently included in the UNESCO Global Geopaks Network.
The National Park (PNPG) shows a geomorphology and inherited evidences of glaciations in the highest points of the Gers Mountain, where they were studied and detailed surveyed by researchers from Lisbon and Coruña Universities.
The Natural Park of Serra da Estrela (PNSE), the highest Mountain in continental Portugal (near 2000m of altitude), part of the Central Cordilheira, it is well known because also keep well preserved evidences of old glaciations.
Other Natural Parks have a karst geomorphology developed in limestone as it is the case of the Natural Park of Serra de Aire e Candeeiros (PNSAC), of the Natural Park of Arrábida (PNA), or of the Protected Landscape of the Serra de Montejunto (PPSM).
In the communication we will try to illustrate the multiple types of geosites developed in karst landscapes (PNSAC, PNA, PPSM, Sicó and Alvaiázere Mountains) and also in granitic rocks (PNPG, PNSE, Geopark Naturtejo and other protected areas).
Another very interesting group of parks and natural reserves are located in littoral areas, mostly in central and south Portugal. The geomorphosites are related to landscapes (larger scale) and natural scientific resources, such as palaeontologic, sedimentologic and geomorphologic ones. The links between the scientific field and the touristic one are some times imperceptibly, what normally have functioned in detriment of the scientific value, defending doubtful economic and touristic interests.
It will be emphasized that the natural and the geomorphologic values, from the scenic and the scientific point of view, has a great importance. So it is necessary to preserve the exceptionally well-developed cases, as well as the transitional ones, because they can give all of us precious palaeoenvironmental evidences and knowledge, so his geomorphologic heritage should be preserved.
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