Development prospects of UNESCO Geoparks Global Network will be discussed in Ufa

UFA, 13 November 2019. /Bashinform News Agency/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

On November 25-29, an international seminar-meeting of the participants of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network program will be held in Ufa. The corresponding order was signed by the Head of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov. The event to exchange experience in the creation and development of UNESCO geoparks will be held at the Yangan-Tau Geopark of the Salavatsky district RB - the first geopark in the Russian Federation.

The forum is organized by the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, the administration of the Head of Bashkortostan, the government of the republic, the Republic of Bashkortostan Committee for UNESCO Affairs and the Yangan-Tau Geopark.

A delegation of the Russian Commission for UNESCO, UNESCO experts, representatives of the National Commissions for UNESCO Affairs of foreign countries, ministries and departments, research institutes, geological, biological and environmental organizations from 21 CIS countries, near and far abroad are expected to attend the seminar. The arrival of representatives from Armenia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Great Britain, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, South Korea is expected. The list of participants also includes specialists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Adygea, Altai, North Ossetia, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Yakutia, Altai and Perm regions, Irkutsk, Kirov, Sverdlovsk, Ulyanovsk and Chelyabinsk regions.

The seminar is held in order to preserve the natural, geological, biological, historical and cultural heritage of the regions and countries of the world, to develop domestic and international tourism, as well as to create and further develop geoparks in the territories of Bashkortostan, Russia and the world, taking into account the experience of the Bashkortostan Yangan-Tau and Toratau Geoparks.

A special UNESCO program to support the creation of a Global Geoparks Network has existed since 2002. In 2004, with the support of UNESCO, the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) was created, which currently includes 147 geoparks in 41 countries.

On September 1, 2019, in Indonesia, at a meeting of the International Council of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network UNESCO Program, a unanimous decision was made to include the Yangan-Tau Geopark in the GGN.

The Yangan-Tau Geopark unites more than 20 geological objects of republican and federal significance, of which three (Mechetlino section, Bolshaya Luka section, Mount Yangantau) have a high status of geological monuments of international importance.

Ongoing and large-scale work is also carried out in the Republic of Bashkortostan to create and develop the second geopark of the republic - the Toratau Geopark and its further promotion to the UNESCO Global Geopark Network. In this regard, the Center for Science, Education, Ecology, Culture, and Tourism “Geopark Toratau” was created in the republic, the press service of the Committee RB for UNESCO Affairs informs.