156-4 The Success and Challenges of UNESCO Global Geoparks as Beacons of Geoheritage: Perspectives from Canada

Session: Geoheritage Without Borders: International Perspectives on the Conservation and Celebration of Geodiversity, Part I

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Beyond making geoheritage known to people, UNESCO Global Geoparks provide tangible, sustainable benefits as well as intangible ones such as pride of place to the communities built on that foundational geoheritage. Global Geoparks began in 2000 with four European geoparks, joined by China in 2004 to found an international programme. It was not until 2015 that Global Geoparks became an official program of UNESCO, uniquely shaped by these early beginnings. They remain distinctly different from the World Heritage and Man and the Biosphere programmes chiefly in that they strive to be grassroots, ‘bottom up’ community initiatives. Nor are they the exclusive playgrounds of geoscientists; they are landscapes on which cultures have been inspired and shaped by geology. A primary goal of Global Geoparks is sustainable economic development, most often in rural areas. In this respect, the term “geopark” can be confusing to North American audiences, where a park often has meant exclusion and limits to commercial activities. Such is not the case with respect to Global Geoparks. Geoconservation is very much encouraged, but so are thriving, sustainable communities. Today, UNESCO Global Geoparks have grown to 229 in 50 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and South America, and North America including 5 in Canada. A bridge to UNESCO accreditation is possible by developing a program of national geoparks as has been done in countries such as Japan.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-10104

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