A Geopark is a territory recognized for its landscapes and sites of international geological importance. The shared management of these heritages, their good valorization and the effect of sustainable territorial development induces this distinction, formalized by the attribution of a label awarded by UNESCO, re-examined every four years.
Created in 2001 following the Declaration of the Rights of the Earth in 1991, the label lists in 2021, 169 UNESCO Geoparks in 48 countries.
A Geopark is a territory with an exceptional geological heritage used for sustainable development. It is a different tool from inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Other natural, cultural, material or immaterial components constitute the identity of these unique spaces. The UNESCO Geopark label is based on three intangible pillars:
- The environment and its preservation: Geoparks are rare geological and landscape spaces, managed jointly by the authorities and as much as possible by the local populations.
- Education : a Geopark is a tool on which it is necessary to rely for education and good knowledge (especially the younger generations) and visitors.
- Sustainable development through geotourism : used as a gateway to the development of a territory and support for local communities, several activities will result from this (agriculture, crafts, for example). Which on the one hand will encourage the sustainability and enhancement of local traditions and know-how, and on the other hand also induce sustainable income for the inhabitants…