Crossing the Sea of Sand: Zhangye and Alxa Desert Global Geoparks Jointly Protecting the Earth

When the Heihe River flows through the oasis of the Hexi region and meanders into the vast Gobi Desert, an operation to protect the earth begins. During the 56th World Earth Day and Asia-Pacific Geoparks Week, Zhangye and Alxa geoparks worked together to fulfill the mission of protecting Mother Earth.

From April 23 to 27, staff of Zhangye UGGp joined a prospecting team including geologists and local staff, and visited the Badanjilin and Juyan areas of Alxa UGGp. The team crossed the desert and Gobi, comprehensively inspected the conservation situation of geoheritages, development of cultural tourism resources, and the mode of geopark community within the Alxa Geopark. The first route prospective work for the 2025 revalidation has been successfully finished. It is worth mentioning that the team has discovered a volcanic columnar joint landscape at the north edge of the geopark. The complete hexagonal basalt column group, like an exquisite artwork, further enriches the treasure trove of geoheritages in this region and also provides a new sample for geological research.

From becoming sister geoparks in 2020 to jointly preparing the revalidation in 2025, Zhangye and Alxa continually deepened their collaboration in the fields of geoheritage conservation, scientific innovation, and educational dissemination. From the joint exploration of geological resources to the sharing of scientific research achievements, from the coordinated implementation of educational activities to the exchange in talent cultivation, the cooperation between the two geoparks has been continuously solidified.   The in-depth linkage on Earth Day this time not only lays a solid foundation for the revalidation work of Alxa Desert Global Geopark, but also sets an example for the cooperation among global geoparks.