Démarche d’attribution du statut international de géoparc : proposition d’une méthodologie d’analyse multicritère pour l’évaluation du potentiel des territoires et l’intégration des objectifs de développement durable

Abstract

In 2012, an initiative to obtain the international Geopark label, granted by UNESCO, was undertaken for the Saguenay region. The main objective of the Geopark is to ensure the conservation of significant  examples of geological heritage, within a global socio-economic and cultural development strategy, at the regional level, while preserving the environment. To identify and characterise the various assets and components of the territory, a scientific analysis was conducted by the Laboratoire d’expertise et de recherche en plein air (LERPA) of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC). Associated to several disciplinary experts from UQAC, the LERPA designed an innovative approach to conduct this analysis. The approach integrates the multicriteria analysis, the systemic sustainability analysis and the tourism engineering, mobilizing different disciplinary fields and experts in an interdisciplinary and systemic logic. The complementarity of a diversity of knowledge leads to a better understanding of the whole potentialities of the territory.