UNESCO Global Geoparks in the “World after”: a multiple-goals roadmap proposal for future discussion

by Guy Martini; Nickolas Zouros; Jianping Zhang; Xiaochi Jin; Ibrahim Komoo; Melanie Border; Mahito Watanabe; Marie Louise Frey; Kristin Rangnes; Tran Tan Van; José Patricio P. Melo; Margaret Patzak; Asier Hilario; Setsuya Nakada; Artur A. Sá

doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2021/021002

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Episodes 2022; 45(1): 29-35

Published online March 1, 2022

https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2021/021002

UNESCO Global Geoparks in the “World after”: a multiple-goals roadmap proposal for future discussion

Guy Martini^1*, Nickolas Zouros², Jianping Zhang³, Xiaochi Jin⁴, Ibrahim Komoo⁵, Melanie Border⁶, Mahito Watanabe⁷, Marie Louise Frey⁸, Kristin Rangnes⁹, Tran Tan Van¹⁰, José Patricio P. Melo¹¹, Margaret Patzak¹², Asier Hilario¹³, Setsuya Nakada¹⁴, Artur A. Sá¹⁵

¹ Global Geoparks Network Association, Haute Provence Geopark, Musée Promenade, 10 Montée Bernard Dellacasagrande, BP 156, 04005 Cedex Digne les Bains, France
² Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, University Hill, Mytilene, GR-81100, Greece
³ Geoheritage Research Center, School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
⁴ Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 26 Baiwanzhuang Road, Beijing 100037, P.R. China
⁵ Centre of Tropical Geoengineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 80990Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
⁶ English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark, Floor 3-Roebuck House, Abbey Road, Torquay, Devon, United Kingdom
⁷ Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan
⁸ Welterbe Grube Messel gGmbH, Rossdörferstr. 108, 4409 Messel, Germany
⁹ Gea Norvegica Geopark, Porselensveien 6A, 3920 Porsgrunn, Norway
¹⁰ Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resouces; Km9 Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, Vietnam
¹¹ Regional University of Cariri (URCA), R. Coronel Antônio Luíz, 1161, Pimenta, Crato - CE, 63105-010, Brazil
¹² Section on Earth Sciences and Geo-Hazards Risk Reduction Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences Natural Sciences Sector, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France
¹³ Basque Coast UNESCO Global Geopark, Ifar kalea 3, Deba, 20820 Spain
¹⁴ National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED), Tennodai 3-1, Tsukuba 305-0006, Japan
¹⁵ UNESCO Chair on Geoparks, Sustainable Regional Development and Healthy Lifestyles, Department of Geology and Pole of the Geosciences Centre (CGeo), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal

Correspondence to:E-mail: guy.martini@hotmail.com

Received: August 11, 2020; Revised: February 3, 2021; Accepted: February 3, 2021

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The new challenges posed to UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGps), resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, require a guiding reflection and the presentation of a proposal for a roadmap, to be discussed and implemented in the shortmedium term. The proposal presented in this work is the result of careful reflection and discussion among the authors, with the purpose of providing the UGGps with tools and lines of action that will allow them to face the new reality of the “World after”. These proposals are aligned with the new global dynamics, mainly with those that are seen as strategic for these territories. It is also based on the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda, with particular emphasis on Climate Action. The new reality must therefore also include a paradigm shift and a strengthening of networking activities, which should include a new dynamic of participation and sharing, appropriate to the more frequent use of tools for effective long-distance teamwork.