The Geologists ’ Association and geoconservation: history and achievements

Abstract: The vulnerability of the geological record and of the natural environment in general was recognized in the nineteenth century. The Geologists ’ Association (GA) contributed to the national debate after the First World War and was active in consultations leading to the develop-ment of conservation policy and legislation in the 1940s. The geological issues attracted less atten-tion in the 1950s and 1960s, but in the years that followed the GA became increasingly involved in conservation initiatives. The Fieldwork Code was published, the Curry Fund established and the GA became active in supplying the geological input to a wide variety of environmental conservation campaigns. Concern about the future of the British countryside took shape in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The National Trust for example was founded in 1895 (see Burek 2008a). This concern was coupled with attempts to establish a legal right of access to the countryside for the general public. The GA’s involvement in these concern