Six of China's national geoparks joined the Global Geopark
Network on Monday at the second International Geoparks Conference
in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The six geoparks are Mount Tai Geopark in Shandong Province;
Wangwu-Daimei Moutains Geopark and Funiushan Geopark in Henan
Province; Leiqiong Volcano Geopark in Guangdong and Hainan
Provinces; Fangshan Geopark in Beijing Municipality and Hebei
Province and Jingpo Lake Geopark in Heilongjiang Province.
Six geoparks in other countries also gained entry including
three from Spain and one each from Norway, Portugal and Brazil.
Jiang Jianjun, director of the geological environment department
under China's Ministry of Land and Resources, attended the
conference as head of the Chinese delegation.
Before the conference UNESCO awarded certificates to
representatives from the previous group of global geoparks
including four in China -- Yandangshan Geopark in Zhejiang
Province; Keshiketeng Geopark in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region; Xingwen Geopark in Sichuan Province and Taining Geopark in
Fujian Province.
UNESCO announced the establishment of the Global Geopark Network
in April 2004. Twenty-five National Geoparks (17 European and eight
Chinese) were evaluated and became members of the first group of
UNESCO Global Geoparks.
China's first eight are Huangshan Geopark in Anhui Province;
Lushan Geopark in Jiangxi Province; Yuntaishan and Songshan
Geoparks in Henan Province; Shilin Stone Forest Geopark in Yunnan
Province; Danxiashan Geopark in Guangdong Province; Zhangjiajie
Sandstone Peak Forest Geopark in Hunan Province and Wudalianchi
Geopark in Heilongjiang Province.
According to UNESCO a geopark is a territory with outstanding
geological interest as well as archaeological, ecological or
cultural value where there are considerable local efforts being
made to preserve and enhance the heritage.
Mount Tai Geopark
Funiushan Geopark
Wangwu-Daimei Moutains Geopark
Leiqiong Volcano Geopark
Fangshan Geopark
Jingpo Lake Geopark
(China Daily September 20, 2006)
