Gyeongsangbuk-do looking to add to its list of Geoparks approved by the Ministry of Environment and UNESCO 상세내용
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Gyeongsangbuk-do looking to add to its list of Geoparks approved by the Ministry of Environment and UNESCO
date2023-06-30 11:01:30
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Gyeongsangbuk-do looking to add to its list of Geoparks approved by the Ministry of Environment and UNESCO
- Uiseong becomes just the 4th national geopark in Gyeongsangbuk-do, 15th in Korea overall -
- Gyeongsangbuk-do ready to submit new application to turn its Donghaean Geopark into a UNESCO Global Geopark, application already submitted -
Gyeongsangbuk-do announced the National Geoparks Council (Chairperson: Yoo Jae-cheol, Vice Minister of Environment) voted to designate the entire Uiseong-gun area into the 4th Ministry of Environment National Geopark in Gyeongsangbuk-do alone - 15th overall nationwide - as of June 21.
Geoparks are one of the three major UNESCO natural conservation programs, along with its World Heritage sites and Biosphere Reserves.
Aimed at protecting our geological heritage, the UNESCO Global Geopark program classifies geoparks into UNESCO Global Geoparks and National Geoparks approved by each national Ministry of Environment.
The recently approved Uiseong National Geopark features what is known as the Gyeongsang Basin, the largest Cretaceous sedimentary basin in Korea. Stretching across a total area of 1,174.68㎢, the new park includes twelve geological attractions of great academic value, including Geumseongsan Mountain, Jeori dinosaur footprint fossils, and the Uiseong stromatolites.
Meanwhile, Mungyeong-si was also acknowledged for its potential to become a National Geopark thanks to its rich geological, historical, and cultural heritage of both international and national value. Mungyeong is famously home to a major trilobite fossil site and Mungyeong Saejae, which is why it was nominated as a possible National Geopark candidate*.
* Gyeongsangbuk-do has to file its application to register Mungyeong-si as a National Geopark within two years if the City is approved as a candidate site. Final deliberation is made by the National Geoparks Council.
Meanwhile, the Gyeongbuk Donghaean Geopark, which boasts an area of 2,261㎢, including the coastal areas along the East Sea and parts of the Nakdonggang River, is deemed one of the best places in the Province to study the igneous activity and geological characteristics of East Asia from the Paleozoic to the Tertiary of the Cenozoic Era. Thus, the Provincial Government is looking to file its application to turn the Park into a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Gyeongsangbuk-do plans to submit a letter of intent to register the Gyeongbuk Donghaean Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark to the UNESCO Korea National Geoparks Council by the end of this month, then make all the necessary preparations, and submit an application to the UNESCO Global Geoparks program by November of this year.
Once the application is filed, UNESCO will review Gyeongsangbuk-do’s ation until April of next year, and organize a five-day on-site inspection between May and August 2024. If the application proceeds without incident, the UNESCO Geoparks Council will announce its preliminary results by September.
Final approval from the Executive Board can be expected sometime during the UNESCO Spring General Assembly, scheduled for May 2025 (Paris, France).
Meanwhile, Cheongsong, which was designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2017, finished its follow-up uation, something it has to do every four years to keep its designation, in September of last year. Its uation was delayed for two years or so due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19.
On June 9, Gyeongsangbuk-do received word from UNESCO that it renewed its Global Geopark designation for Cheongsong*, which is expected to run through the end of 2024.
* Renewed period: January 1, 2021 ~ December 31, 2024 / 4 years
The Director of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Environment and Forest Resources Bureau said, We plan on doing our best to have more of our parks across Gyeongsangbuk-do designated as National Geoparks and Global Geoparks going forward. The Director added, We want to take full advantage of the Geoparks initiative to promote just how great Gyeongsangbuk-do’s natural environment and heritage are. And we’ll also focus on helping our Province take a new step forward in the post-pandemic era.
