Zhangye UNESCO Global Geopark Participated in the 4th Nature & Culture Forum

On June 15, the 4th Nature & Culture Forum started in Arxan UNESCO Global Geopark, which is hosted by China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and People’s Government of Arxan, organized by the Nature & Culture Institute of China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Arxan UNESCO Global Geopark Management Bureau, and sponsored by eight branches of the Nature & Culture Institute of China University of Geosciences (Beijing), including the Zhangye, Taishan, Xiangxi, Alxa, and Huanghe.

The 4th Nature & Culture Forum

With the theme of the Convergency of Stunning Beauty: UNESCO Global Geoparks in China, more than one hundred experts and scholars are invited to the Arxan to discuss the beauty of humans and nature’s harmony. The attendees made ten academic reports according to the theme. The representative of Zhangye UGGp presented the geopark’s exploration and practices on the harmoniousness of Zhangye Geopark and Qilian Mountain National Park, which received high praise from participants.

Zhangye UGGp’s representative was reporting.

The forum released a new publication, Convergency of Stunning Beauty: UNESCO Global Geoparks in China, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Global Geoparks Network. This publication showcases the global-level geoheritages, beautiful natural scenery, and gorgeous ethnic cultures of 47 UNESCO Global Geoparks in China.

The forum also published the Arxan declaration of the 4th Nature & Culture Forum, which concerns issues of geomorphology, ecology, green development, the harmony between humans and nature, and beautiful China.

In 2023, Zhangye UNESCO Global Geopark made a sister-park relationship with Arxan UNESCO Global Geopark. The Arxan UNESCO Global Geopark is located in the Arxan Municipality, Xing’an League, Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. On September 9, 2006, it was approved as a national geopark by the Ministry of Land and Resources. And in 2017, it became a UNESCO Global Geopark.

It has a total area of 3,653 km² and includes the Tianchi, Hot Springs, Halaha, and Haosengou areas. Multiple volcanic activities in the Quaternary period within the geopark form widespread volcanic rock landforms. According to incomplete statistics, there are 47 volcanic craters in the Mount Arxan Volcanic-Hot Spring National Geopark. These volcanoes have left a series of volcanic geoheritages in previous eruptions, including lava flows, volcanic debris deposits, lava tunnels, jet cones (discs), lava canyons, craters, crater lakes, lava barrier lakes, and so on. Moreover, it has the highest concentration and most significant number of high-level volcanic crater lakes discovered worldwide, with seven crater lakes within its territory.