Geoparks European Network (EGN)
TThe Geoparks represent a special category of territories that are emerging at international and national level thanks to the capacity to implement policies for the protection and enhancement of geodiversity and geological heritage.
After an initial launch of the program "Geoparks" by UNESCO in 1998, we must wait until 2000 for the actual activation of the first Geoparks in Europe.
It is in fact in 2000 that four protected areas in four different European countries (the Petrified Forest of Lesvos island in Greece, the Geological Reserve of Haute Provence in France, the Geopark Vulkaneifel in Germany and the Cultural Park Maestrazgo in Spain ) constitute the European Geoparks Network (European Geoparks Network link www.europeangeoparks.org).
These areas have a geological and geomorphological relevance and are important from a scientific, educational and aesthetic perspective. These Geoparks have agreed to work together to identify new strategies and projects for the protection and enhancement of the geological heritage.
The first four Geoparks have thus triggered a strong cooperation in order to promote sustainable development at the local level through the development of a general image linked to the geological heritage.
From this strong collaboration resulted many initiatives that have promoted the geotourism and developed interesting experiences in the field of environmental education, training and scientific research in the various disciplines of Earth Sciences. Every year the list of Geoparks is modified twice as a result of entering or exiting of some Geoparks, and simultaneously the list and map of Geoparks is updated.
After the updates established in Germany in September 2014, the European Geoparks Network consists of a list of 64 territories representing 25 nations: Austria (4 including 1 cross-border with Slovenia), Croatia (1), Denmark (1 ), Finland (1), France (5), Wales (2), Germany (6 including 1 cross-border with Poland), Greece (4), England (2), Northern Ireland (1), Italy (9) , Iceland (1), Norway (2), Netherlands (1), Portugal (4), Czech Republic (1), Republic of Ireland (2), Romania (1), Scotland (2), Slovenia (2 of which 1 borders with Austria), Spain (10), Turkey (1), Hungary (2 of which one borders with the Slovak Republic).
After an initial launch of the program "Geoparks" by UNESCO in 1998, we must wait until 2000 for the actual activation of the first Geoparks in Europe.
It is in fact in 2000 that four protected areas in four different European countries (the Petrified Forest of Lesvos island in Greece, the Geological Reserve of Haute Provence in France, the Geopark Vulkaneifel in Germany and the Cultural Park Maestrazgo in Spain ) constitute the European Geoparks Network (European Geoparks Network link www.europeangeoparks.org).
These areas have a geological and geomorphological relevance and are important from a scientific, educational and aesthetic perspective. These Geoparks have agreed to work together to identify new strategies and projects for the protection and enhancement of the geological heritage.
The first four Geoparks have thus triggered a strong cooperation in order to promote sustainable development at the local level through the development of a general image linked to the geological heritage.
From this strong collaboration resulted many initiatives that have promoted the geotourism and developed interesting experiences in the field of environmental education, training and scientific research in the various disciplines of Earth Sciences. Every year the list of Geoparks is modified twice as a result of entering or exiting of some Geoparks, and simultaneously the list and map of Geoparks is updated.
After the updates established in Germany in September 2014, the European Geoparks Network consists of a list of 64 territories representing 25 nations: Austria (4 including 1 cross-border with Slovenia), Croatia (1), Denmark (1 ), Finland (1), France (5), Wales (2), Germany (6 including 1 cross-border with Poland), Greece (4), England (2), Northern Ireland (1), Italy (9) , Iceland (1), Norway (2), Netherlands (1), Portugal (4), Czech Republic (1), Republic of Ireland (2), Romania (1), Scotland (2), Slovenia (2 of which 1 borders with Austria), Spain (10), Turkey (1), Hungary (2 of which one borders with the Slovak Republic).