GEOPARK CANDIDATE’S APPLICATION Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park November 2015 “If stones could speak...” 2 ASPIRING GEOPARK OF CAUSSES DU QUERCY Contents A. Identity of the aspiring Geopark of Causses du Quercy, France 3 A.1. Name and identity 3 A.3.3. Natural heritage 10 A.1.1. Geological time scale 3 A.3.4. Physical geography characteristics 12 A.1.2. Human time scale 3 A.3.5. Population and demographic trend 14 A.2. Location of the aspiring Geopark A.4. Lead organization and management of Causses du Quercy 4 structure 14 A.3. Surface area, physical and human A.4.1. Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park 14 geography characteristics 4 A.4.2. Geopark bottom up process 14 A.3.1. Surface area and contours 4 A.4.3. Organization and budget 15 A.3.2. Close multi-millennial relationship between A.5. Application contact persons 15 man and stone 4 B. Geological heritage 16 B.1. General geological description B.2.1. Geosites selection method 24 of the proposed Geopark 16 B.2.2. Integrated geosites listing 24 B.1.1. Geological location of the proposed Geopark 16 B.2.3. Presentation of 3 major integrated geosites 24 B.1.2. Lot county National Inventory of Geological Heritage 16 B.3. Details on the interest of those sites in terms B.1.3. Historical elements 18 of their international, national, regional B.1.4. Scientific interest of the Quercy phosphorites 18 and local value 25 B.1.5. Emplacement conditions of the phosphorite deposits: B.4. Listing and description of non-geological sites Geological story of the Quercy linked with and how they are integrated into global plate tectonics 20 the proposed Geopark 34 B.2. Listing and description of geological sites B.4.1. Description of the linked (non-geological) sites 34 within the proposed Geopark 24 B.4.2. Partner sites outside the territory 34 C. Geoconservation 37 C.1. Current and potential pressure on C.2.1. The Lot RNN of Geological Interest 37 the aspiring Geopark 37 C.2.2. Other tools used 37 C.1.1. “Site by site” pressure 37 C.2.3. Karstic site protection study conducted by the Park 37 C.1.2. Territorial threats 37 C.3. Data on the management and maintenance C.1.3. Distant threats 37 of these sites 38 C.2. Current status in terms of protection of geological C.3.1. Site protection 38 sites within the aspiring Geopark 37 C.3.2. Unprotected vulnerable sites 38 D. Economic activity and business plan for the proposed geopark 39 D.1. Economic activity 39 D.4.1. Park Charter / CETD 42 D.1.1. Agriculture 39 D.4.2. Geotourism and economy 42 D.1.2. Crafts and small business 40 D.4.3. Geoeducation 44 D.1.3. Tourism 40 D.4.4. Geoheritage 46 D.2. Existing and planned facilities 41 D.5. Policies for, and examples of, community D.2.1. Existing structures and infrastructures 41 empowerment 46 D.2.2. Planned infrastructures 41 D.5.1. Karst water resources 46 D.3. Analysis of geotourism potential 42 D.5.2. Landscape and biodiversity 46 D.3.1. Type of clientele and attendance 42 D.6. Policies for, and examples of, public D.3.2. Interest of the clientele 42 and stakeholder awareness 46 D.3.3. Geotourism potential 42 D.6.1. Conciliation of use and outdoor activities 46 D.4. Overview and policies for sustainable D.6.2. Awareness and training of economic actors development 42 in the environment 47 E. Interest and arguments for joining GGN 47 A. Identity of the aspiring Geopark of Causses du Quercy, France 3 A. Identity of the aspiring Geopark of Causses du Quercy, France A.1. Name and identity The territory aspiring to join the Global Geoparks Network A.1.2. Human time scale [GGN] covers an area that has structured itself since 2006 upon a remarkable geological heritage, namely the preserved Throughout the ages – the oldest preserved vestiges are 400,000 paleokarst from the Tertiary geological era, with superimposed years old – humans strove to use the available resources from resumed karstic activity during the Quaternary. But it is also the karst and the paleokarst. These included cavities trapping structured around the close relationship that humans have animals, caves man inhabited or decorated thanks to the local maintained, and still maintain, with the omnipresent limestone. available pigments, limestones he used to construct megalithic tombs, houses, shelters, low walls, etc., to phosphatic fissure A.1.1. Geological time scale fillings of the paleokarst that he exploited. At the same time, he developed solutions for his survival such as the carving of The causse is a vast, dry and rocky plateau formed by marine basins able to retain water within the limestones, the clearing of carbonate rocks deposited between -250 and -70 million years stones from the dolines and dry valleys… These anthropogenic during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and is the result of an arrangements repeated thousands of times are true adaptive intense karstic activity that started 70 million years ago (Ma). treasures and literally shaped the causse landscape. As the result of unique geological circumstances, it enabled the recording within different phosphorite caves – ancient caves The ASPIRING CAUSSES DU QUERCY GLOBAL GEOPARK is so sealed by red clay deposits containing thousands of fossils in named because of both its geology – the causse, and its histori- perfect condition of preservation – of the climatic, environmental cal identity – the Quercy territory of the Cadurques Gallic people. and conditions for life evolution, between 52 and 20 Ma. It thus In a holistic approach integrating geological, natural, historical made this area a true “natural evolution laboratory”1 of interna- and cultural heritage, the territory is developing a strategy for tional significance. There are only four other complete chrono- sustainable development that will ensure its durability and make logical sequences spanning more than 15 Ma currently known this area a “preserved territory to live in” 2. in a continental domain worldwide FIGURE 1. This makes the Quercy paleokarst a European reference for the upper Eocene and (1) “The Quercy phosphorites: a natural laboratory of the evolution of the vertebrates”, CNRS Oligocene epochs with 5 international reference levels including letter, Paris [De Bonis et al., 1977] (2) Foreword from C. Marlas, President of the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park 3 within the aspiring Geopark area. [Charter of the Park 2012-2024]. Regions covering more Epoch Age Ages Quercy Mammalian deposits (Ma) than 15 Ma of the Era evolution of mammals Period Holocene -0.0117 Upper -0.126 Mid Pleistocene -0.781 Quaternary Calabrian -1.806 Gelesian -2.588 Piacenzian Pliocene -3.600 Wyoming Central Spain Quercy DesertGobi Riversleigh Zanclean -5.333 Messinian FIGURE 1B -7.246 Tortonian Location map. -11.65 Serravallian Neogene Miocene -13.82 Langhian Evidences in Collections” “Old the -15.97 Burdigalian Cenozoic -20.44 Aquitanian Central Spain (22 to 2 Ma) -23.03 Chattian Oligocene -28.10 Rupelian Riversleigh (30 to 5 Ma) -33.90 Priabonian -38.00 Bartonian Eocene -41.30 FIGURE 1A Lutetian -47.80 Biochronological distribution of the major Paleokarst of phosphoritesthe The entire Quercy paleokarst Paleogene Ypresian Cenozoic continental paleontological depos- -56.00 Thanetian its (review T. Pélissié [after Legendre, 1989; -59.20 0 5 Aguilar et al., 2007; Escarguel et al., 2008; 15 10 20 25 Paleocene Selandian 30 -61.60 Escarguel, 2009 and personal communica- tion of J. Rémy]). Danian Number of sites Wyoming (65 to 30 Ma) -66.00 Gobi Desert (70 to 30 Ma) 4 ASPIRING GEOPARK OF CAUSSES DU QUERCY A.2. Location of the aspiring Geopark of Causses du Quercy GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS: APPENDIX 1. Geopark or territory) is located in the southwest quarter of France, at the northern end of the Midi-Pyrénées region The territory of Causses du Quercy aspiring to join the FIGURE 2A, 2B. It is 100 km from Toulouse (4th largest city Global Geoparks Network (hereinafter called aspiring in France by population). A.3. Surface area, physical and human geography characteristics A.3.1. Surface area and contours PROMOTE innovation and development of local resources [Measure 2.1.3] in particular by revitalising a stone building sector. It is essentially a rural area covering the central third of the ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUMS dedicated to rural heritage and popular traditions: Musée départemental de Cuzals, Musée des Arts et Traditions Lot County, between the Dordogne River in the north and the populaires, Borie d’Imbert. Tarn-et-Garonne County in the south FIGURE 2C. Its contours are those of the municipalities that ratified the Charter of the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park (hereinafter called A.3.2.2. Limestone: A major building material Park; details § A.4.); they follow those of the limestone pla- Where limestone rock outcrops across the surface of the causse, teaux of the Quercy, called Causses, whose average elevation man took advantage of the rich and deep soils of the many dolines is 300 m. These plateaux stand out from the low plains of the (“cloups”) P 6 FIGURE 3C. In seeking to clear stones from the Aquitaine Basin bordering them to the south (avg. 135 m above fields and paths, little by little he created this network of low- sea level) and from the mountainous area of the Massif Central walls so typical of the territory, as well as many other buildings situated to the north and east (avg. 700 m above sea level, in dry stone such as the iconic “caselles” (small stone huts) culminating at 1 885 m) FIGURE 2D.