Spectacular  volcanic landscapes and regions are becoming increasingly recognized as critical areas to protect and conserve for the unique geoscientific aspects they represent and as places to enjoy and learn about the science and history of our planet. There is an increasing national and international interest related to “Geoheritage”, "Geoconservation", "Geoparks" and "Geotourism" becoming this a general perception of modern Earth sciences and volcanology in particular. Most notably, "Geoparks", in particular those with active volcanoes, attract an increasing number of visitors everyday and have proven to be excellent tools to educate the public about "Earth Sciences", and at the time that most of them have demonstrated to  be areas for recreation and significant sustainable economic development through geotourism. However, due to the increasing interest on these geological sites, they also demand increasing scientific knowledge to guaranty the best dissemination of their values but also the security of their visitors by conducting accurate hazard assessment. In order to develop further the understanding of volcanism and Earth Sciences in general and to elucidate the importance of volcanology for Society a new IAVCEI commission, the IAVCEI Commission on Volcano Geoheritage and Protected Volcanic Landscapes (VGPL) has been established. The IAVCEI VGPL is aimed at promoting an exchange of information and experiences between organisms and people managing and/or working in protected volcanic landscapes, explaining the importance of knowledge for raising awareness of volcanic landscapes at a territorial scale, and sharing knowledge and raising awareness regarding experiences in management, education and geotourism in protected volcanic landscapes. This Commission will address  four main issues:

1) Contributing with scientific knowledge to the management of protected volcanic areas;

2) Identification of scientific values of protected volcanic areas,

3) Communicating heritage values through education and interpretation, and

4) Geotourism as a factor of economic and community sustainable development in protected volcanic areas.

In addition, the IAVCEI VGPL will take care of the organisation of the VOLCANDPARC conference series, every year or two years, in different protected volcanic areas around the World, and as a continuation of the first conference organised in Olot in 2012. 

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcano Geoheritage and Protected Volcanic Landscapes (VGPL) leaders currently are:

Thomas Casadevall, USGS, Denver, USA

Karoly Nemeth, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Joan Martí, GVB, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain

Mohammed Rashad Moufti, KAU, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia