China now has maximum geoparks

BEIJING: China has become the world’s first country to have the 39 geological parks approved under Global Network of National Geoparks. At the 206^th meeting of the Executive Board of United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), two geological parks – Jiuhuashan National Geopark in East China’s Anhui province and Yimengshan Geopark in East China’s Shandong province – were recently approved to become the part of Global Network of National Geoparks in China.

Jiuhuashan National Geopark covers an area of 139.7 square kilometers, with three sites of world-class geological relics, while Yimengshan Geopark is spread across an area of 1,804.76 square kilometers.

Till now a total of 39 geological parks in China have been approved till date as part of the Global Network of National Geoparks.

As the initiator of the establishment of national geological parks, China has had a soaring number of geological parks in recent years, marking the country to have fastest growth in geopark numbers in the world.

Since 2000, the country launched several campaigns to protect and setup new geological parks, with an initiative to spread awareness and knowledge on geology.

The initiatives have also helped to decrease the poverty level by creating jobs and increasing incomes of villagers. For instance, Chixi Village in southeast China’s Fujian province has created over 190,000 jobs in 2017 and also helped in achieving an increased income of over 448 million Yuan for villages under the geopark area.