UNESCO Global Geoparks
Note *Kula Volcanic Geopark was enlarged and renamed as Kula Salihli Geopark in 2020. Though it is in the Asian part of Turkey, it is included here as the European Geopark Network extends across all of Turkey.
Europe [lower-alpha 1] is the cradle of the geoparks movement. [1] The European Geoparks Network is a founding member of the Global Geoparks Network and it functions as a regional geopark network of it. As of November 2022, there are 94 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 28 European countries and there are several territories in an aspiring or planned phase, or in a national geopark status. [2] Further elements of the geodiversity of the continent is represented on the World Heritage list, under criterion VIII or VII.
Note *Kula Volcanic Geopark was enlarged and renamed as Kula Salihli Geopark in 2020. Though it is in the Asian part of Turkey, it is included here as the European Geopark Network extends across all of Turkey.
Twenty-eight sites are represented currently on the World Heritage list under criterion VIII, [157] as an outstanding representative of Earth's history:
Further sites are inscribed under criterion VII [158] of superlative natural phenomena and aesthetic importance. Some of them, which have a special geoheritage importance are:
A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences.
The International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGCP) is a cooperative enterprise of UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).
The Regional Natural Park of Corsica is a natural park. It was listed in 1972 and then relisted for 10 years in June 1999. The Natural Park covers nearly 40% of the island of Corsica. A section the park centering on the Gulf of Porto was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 because of its beauty, excellent representation of Corsican shrubland, and avian and marine diversity.
The European Geoparks Network (EGN) functions as the regional organization of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) and the UNESCO International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme (UNESCO-IGGP). Its main objective is to ensure cooperation between geoparks for the protection of geological heritage and the promotion of sustainable development of their territories in Europe. In 2020 January, the EGN had 75 institutional members from 26 European countries and there are several aspiring geopark projects, applying for a UNESCO label and therefore the permanent EGN membership.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It has 194 member states and 12 associate members, as well as partners in the non-governmental, intergovernmental and private sector. Headquartered in Paris, France, UNESCO has 53 regional field offices and 199 national commissions that facilitate its global mandate.
Psiloritis Natural or Nature Park is a UNESCO Global geopark located in the central part of the island of Crete, in southern Greece.
The Copper Coast Geopark is a designated area comprising a stretch of the southern coast of Ireland in County Waterford, extending for some 25 km of coastline from Kilfarrasy in the east to Stradbally in the west. It was the first geopark to be designated in the country.
UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). that administers the network.
The first inscriptions on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register were made in 1997. By creating a compendium of the world’s documentary heritage – manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings – the program aims to tap on its networks of experts to exchange information and raise resources for the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of documentary materials. As of 2018, 432 documentary heritages have been included in the Register, among them recordings of folk music, ancient languages and phonetics, aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts, collective lifetime works of renowned giants of literature, science and music, copies of landmark motion pictures and short films, and accounts documenting changes in the world’s political, economic and social stage. Of these, 24 properties were nominated by countries from the region of Africa.
The first inscriptions on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register were made in 1997. By creating a compendium of the world's documentary heritage—manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings – the program aims to tap on its networks of experts to exchange information and raise resources for the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of documentary materials. As of 2018, 432 documentary heritages have been included in the register, among them recordings of folk music, ancient languages and phonetics, aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts, collective lifetime works of renowned giants of literature, science and music, copies of landmark motion pictures and short films, and accounts documenting changes in the world's political, economic and social stage. Of these, thirteen properties were nominated by countries from the region of the Arab States.
The International Register of the UNESCO Memory of the World-Programme includes inscriptions from Europe and North America. As of December 2018, the region has 274 inscriptions of the 432 total inscriptions included in the Register.
The first inscriptions on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register were made in 1997. By creating a compendium of the world's documentary heritage—manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings – the program aims to tap on its networks of experts to exchange information and raise resources for the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of documentary materials. As of 2018, 432 documentary heritages have been included in the Register, among them recordings of folk music, ancient languages and phonetics, aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts, collective lifetime works of renowned giants of literature, science and music, copies of landmark motion pictures and short films, and accounts documenting changes in the world's political, economic and social stage. Of these, seven properties were nominated by international organizations.
The first inscriptions on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register were made in 1997. By creating a compendium of the world’s documentary heritage—manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings – the program aims to tap on its networks of experts to exchange information and raise resources for the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of documentary materials. As of 2018, 432 documentary heritages have been included in the Register, among them recordings of folk music, ancient languages and phonetics, aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts, collective lifetime works of renowned giants of literature, science and music, copies of landmark motion pictures and short films, and accounts documenting changes in the world’s political, economic and social stage. Of these, 93 properties were nominated by countries from the region of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Madonie Regional Natural Park is an Italian regional park located in Sicily, between Palermo and Cefalù and covers 39,972 acres.
The German-Luxembourg Nature Park is a cross-border nature park, which was established on 17 April 1964 by state treaty between the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It thus became the first cross-border nature park in Western Europe. On the German side Naturpark Südeifel is providing services for visitors.
Kütralkura is a geopark in southern Chile's Araucanía Region. The geopark has an area of 8100 km2 and lies mostly in the Andes. It spans four communes: Curacautín, Lonquimay, Melipeuco and Vilcún. All of Conguillio National Park and Llaima, one of Chile's most active volcanoes, lie within the geopark.