Nueva legislación española de protección de la Naturaleza y desarrollo rural: implicaciones para la conservación y gestión del patrimonio geológico y la geodiversidad New Spanish legislation for the protection of nature and for rural development: implications for the conservation and management of geological heritage and geodiversity

For the first time in the history of Spain, several important laws passed during year 2007 by the Spanish Parliament explicitly mention geological heritage and geodiversity. Law 5/2007 (National Parks Network) incorporates a list of geological contexts most representative of Spanish geodiversity. Law 42/2007 (Natural Heritage and Biodiversity) elaborates on the conservation and management of geological heritage and geodiversity, and incorporates the list of geological frameworks identified for Spain under UNESCO's Geosites Program, as well as an improved version of the list previously included in Law 5/2007. Law 45/2007 (Sustainable Development of Rural Environment) establishes that rural development plans must consider the conservation and sustainable use of archaeoindustrial and geological heritage. These new laws will require important changes in our society regarding geological heritage and geodiversity. These changes affect (1) professional geologists, who must update their knowledge, participate in the implementation of the laws, and contribute towards education and public outreach, (2) local, regional and national administration and public institutions, who must include geologists in their multidisciplinary teams to efficiently implement the laws, and (3) other professionals and society in general, who must gradually assimilate and adapt to geoconservation concepts.