Every two years one of the UNESCO Global Geoparks in the Asia Pacific Geoparks Network (APGN) hosts a symposium to share and exchange information, experience and knowledge among UNESCO Global Geoparks and professionals in the Asia Pacific Region. This years symposium was held in Satun UNESCO Global Geopark in Thailand from 4 - 11 September 2022 with the theme "UNESCO Global Geoparks Building Sustainable Communities". It was the first in-person symposium since the pandemic, with some colleagues still joining online due to continued travel restrictions.
Our Geopark manager Lisa had the privilege to attend the symposium thanks to funding from the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, as part of their minor grant funding scheme.
The conference included an exhibition of some Geoparks, an excursion to some of the Geosites and a range of different presentations on the following topics:
SDGs in Geoparks
Geohazard Mitigation in Geoparks
Geodiversity and Geoparks
Geoparks: "Sustainable Tourism"
Geoparks: "Education and Interpretation"
Local Wisdom and Cultural Heritage in Geoparks
Aspiring Geoparks
Thank you to the organising committee for making this conference such a great success! It was an extremely inspiring and rewarding experience and we have learned a lot! The head is buzzing with ideas and opportunities. It was lovely to finally meet so many of our colleagues in the Asia Pacific Network and beyond.
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