Geological heritage resources endowment and protective utilization in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province

Geological heritage resources are the most valuable and non-renewable natural heritages to improve the quality of life of mankind at present and in the future, and their protection, utilization and management are the premise and foundation of sustainable development of geological relics. Located at the transitional zone between Yanshan Mountains and western Liaoning Mesozoic basin, due to strongly influence of long geological evolution process, Jinzhou in Liaoning Province is a host to abundant geological heritage resources, especially for the typical stratigraphic section, paleontological fossil, granite landform, river landscape and coastline. According to the special investigation of geological relic resources in Jinzhou, the geological relic resources in Jinzhou can be divided into 2 classes, 7 subclasses, 11 subgenera, a total of 238 sites, with various types, unique connotations and wide distribution range.However, as a result of lack of basic data and funds, poor awareness of the protection, and imperfect management mechanism, damage of these precious resources is becoming increasingly conspicuous, even some sites are at risk of disappearing. Specially for the problems in the spatial layout of Jinzhou city's "mountain", "sea" and "city" tourism industries, the creation of quality tourist destinations, livable cities, ecological civilization, rural revitalization and the protective use of geological remains, it is necessary to establish a geological heritage resource protection list, and to form a multi-level and diverse protective utilization path by means of popularity of science bases, special scenic corridors, scenic tourist areas, characteristic towns, and geological cultural villages.