Danxiashan UGGp
Zhangjiajie UGGp
Danxiashan, Guangdong Province and Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province signed an Agreement to establish a sister park relationship to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the two UNESCO Global Geoparks, aiming at well protecting and utilizing the geological relics of international significance and attracting public attention to the conservation of the earth.
In accordance with the Agreement, the two UGGps will strengthen exchanges and interaction in the geoparks’ protection and management, planning and construction, scientific research monitoring, brand building, tourism promotion, science popularization and community development. They will establish cooperation mechanisms and joint institutions to continuously promote information sharing and the exchange of tourists.
Signing the agreement will help promote the protection, utilization and sustainable development of the UGGps and the World Heritage in various fields as well as enhance the construction of the geopark network.
Since 2019, the two geoparks have initiated and organized the Sister Geoparks Mutual Exhibition on the Earth Day and the 2nd APGN Geoparks Week, which have provided high-quality science popularization services and set up a tourists destination exchange platform for the citizens and tourists from the two places.
The two geoparks have been sharing the expert think tanks, the experience of World Heritage monitoring and UGGp revalidation. Prof. Zhang Chaozhi of Sun Yat-sen University, Prof. Su Dechen, researcher of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, and Huang Heqing, researcher of the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have all given strong support to the development of geological tourism between the two geoparks.
In July 2019, Zhangjiajie UGGp sent observers to participate in the Danxiashan Science Popularization Volunteers Training Camp to conduct in-depth research on Science Popularization in Danxiashan UGGp. The tourism companies in the two geoparks constantly exchanged their tourists markets as well.
UNESCO Global Geoparks and World Natural Heritage are common wealth and precious resources given by nature to mankind. Strengthening the friendly exchanges and cooperation between geoparks is one of the tasks of the development of UNESCO Global Geoparks. In recent years, Danxiashan UGGp has strengthened exchanges with other UGGps. Since it established the first sister park relationship with Huangshan UGGp, Anhui Province in 2004, it has established sister park relations with 23 geoparks in the world. As the 24th sister park of Danxiashan UGGp, Zhangjiajie UGGp will become the first one to carry out interactive exchanges annually with it. The two geoparks will formulate and implement an interactive plan in the near future and join hands to open a new chapter in all-round and in-depth cooperation.
(by Li Guiqing, Xiao Wei)
