The 2024 Annual Conference of China UNESCO Global Geoparks and the 20th Anniversary Symposium of the Global Geoparks Network were opened in Zunyi, Guizhou, on September 23.
Under the theme of the annual conference “Inheriting the charm of geology and continuing to write for twenty years”, representatives and experts from 47 UGGps across the country gathered together to communicate about enhance the partnerships, explore the mysteries of the earth, and build a harmonious future.
During the conference, experts and representatives summarized the 20 years of development of Global Geoparks in China and reported their work in 2024; the host UGGp, Xingyi UNESCO Global Geopark, held its unveiling ceremony and announced the Xingyi UGGp officially opened; it also conducted a sister-geopark signing ceremony with five other geoparks. Besides, new members of UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, Xingyi, Longyan, Changbaishan, Linxia, Wugongshan, and Enshi Grand Canyon- Tenglongdong Cave UGGp made their self-introduction. Experts on geopark also made reports on UGGp/s standards and crucial points of the evaluation, problems and strategies in geoparks operation, geoparks’ contribution to intangible cultural heritages and ecology, and paleontology and geopark’s construction.
These experiences and theories made a solid foundation for geoparks’ development.
The panel conference, a practical and insightful component of the event, focused on exploring and conserving geoheritages, and the relationship between geology and biodiversity. The valuable insights shared during these discussions will guide future geopark development, revalidation preparation, and science popularization.
The conference also inaugurated the “Xingyi Announcement, the 20th Annual Conference of China UNESCO Global Geoparks” and passed the flag to Wugongshan UGGp, the holder of next year’s annual conference.
Xingyi UNESCO Global Geopark is located in Xingyi, Guizhou Province, with an area of 1,456 square kilometers. It is renowned as the Kingdom of Paleobios, the Kingdom of Karst, and the Kingdom of Sedimentary Rock. The geopark consist of Triassic Xingyi animal group fossils, Triassic karst peak forest landscapes, and Triassic lithofacies abrupt geological landscapes and with one world-class important geoheritage and three national-class important heritage.