GLOBAL GEOPARK NETWORK

UNESCO Global Geoparks:

• UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development.
  
  
• Legal Status: UNESCO Global Geopark is not a legislative designation – though the defining geological heritage sites within a UNESCO Global Geopark must be protected under indigenous, local, regional or national legislation as appropriate.
  
  
• Restrictions on activities: UNESCO Global Geopark status does not imply restrictions on any economic activity inside the site where that activity complies with indigenous, local, regional and/or national legislation.
  
  
• List of UNESCO Global Geoparks: As of November 2015, there are 119 UNESCO Global Geoparks spread across 33 countries, mostly in Europe and China. No Indian site is in the list till now.
  
  
• Recognition Period: A UNESCO Global Geopark is given this designation for a period of four years after which the functioning of the site re-examined during a revalidation process.
  
  

Difference between UNESCO Global Geoparks, Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage Sites:

• Biosphere Reserves focus on the harmonised management of biological and cultural diversity.
  
  
• World Heritage Sites promote the conservation of natural and cultural sites of outstanding universal value
  
  
• UNESCO Global Geoparks give international recognition for sites that promote the importance and significance of protecting the Earth’s geodiversity through actively engaging with the local communities.
  
  
• A World Heritage Site or Biosphere Reserve can apply for the UNESCO Global Geopark status. However, a clear evidence has to be provided on how UNESCO Global Geopark status will add value by being both independently branded and in synergy with the other designations.
  
  

Global Geoparks Network (GGN):

• The Global Geoparks Network (GGN), of which membership is obligatory for UNESCO Global Geoparks, is a legally constituted not-for-profit organisation.
  
  
• The GGN was founded in 2004 and is a dynamic network where members exchange ideas of best practise to raise the quality standards of a UNESCO Global Geopark.
  
  
• While the GGN as a whole comes together every two years, it functions through the operation of regional networks, such as the European Geoparks Network that meets twice a year to develop and promote joint activities.It is managed under the UNESCO’s Ecological and Earth Sciences Division.