A
Geopark is a unified area with geological heritage of
international significance. Geoparks use that heritage to promote
awareness of key issues facing society in the context of the dynamic
planet we all live on. Many Geoparks promote awareness of geological
hazards, including volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis and many help
prepare disaster mitigation strategies among local communities. Geoparks
hold records of past climate change and are educators on current
climate change as well as adopting a best practise approach to utilising
renewable energy and employing the best standards of “green
tourism.”Tourism industry promotion in Geopark, as a geographically
sustainable and applicable tourism model, aims to sustains, or even
enhances, the geographical character of a place.
Geoparks also inform about the sustainable use and need for natural
resources, whether they are mined, quarried or harnessed from the
surrounding environment while at the same time promoting respect for the
environment and the integrity of the landscape. Geoparks are not a
legislative designation though the key heritage sites within a Geopark
should be protected under local, regional or national legislation as
appropriate.
[1]The
multidisciplinary nature of the concept of geo-park and tourism
promotion in geo-parks differentiates itself from other models of
sustainable tourism. In fact, sustainable tourism promotion within
geopark actually encompasses many of the subdivisions of sustainable
tourism including: geo-tourism (geo-site tourism: as a basic factor),
community-based tourism and integrated rural tourism(as a vital needs),
ecotourism, cultural heritage tourism and etc.
The Global Geoparks Network is supported by
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO). Many national Geoparks and other local Geoparks projects also
exist which are not included in the Global Geoparks Network.
The Geoparks initiative was launched by UNESCO in response to the
perceived need for an international initiative that recognizes sites
representing an earth science interest.
[2]
Global Geoparks Network aims at enhancing the value of such sites while
at the same time creating employment and promoting regional economic
development.
[2] The Global Geoparks Network works in synergy with UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and
Man and the Biosphere (MAB) World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
[2]
The Global Geoparks Network (GGN) is a UNESCO activity established in
1998. According to UNESCO, for a Geopark to apply to be included in the
GGN, it needs to:
- have a management plan designed to foster socio-economic development that is sustainable based on geotourism
- demonstrate methods for conserving and enhancing geological heritage
and provide means for teaching geoscientific disciplines and broader
environmental issues
- have joint proposals submitted by public authorities, local
communities and private interests acting together, which demonstrate the
best practices with respect to Earth heritage conservation and its
integration into sustainable development strategies.[3]