VolcandPark was the first congress to be devoted to the management, the raising of awareness and geotourism in protected volcanic areas. It aims to act as a forum for debate and thought that will provide a link between knowledge of vulcanology and territorial planning and awareness in the people who work in these volcanic landscapes (national and natural parks, natural reserves, etc.).
The Congress took place in Olot (Spain), a town lying wholly within La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, and was organized jointly by this protected area (www.gencat.cat/parcs/garrotxa), the Catalan government’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Natural Environment, Olot City Council (www.turismeolot.com), the Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera (IJA) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (www.ija.csic.es) and the Geological Institute of Catalonia (www.igc.cat/), and is backed by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) (www.iavcei.org).