31-10-2022
UNESCO Global Geoparks in Mexico. Holistic conservation Strategies
According to UNESCO, a geopark is a territory with well-defined boundaries with a surface area large enough to sustain local economic development. It includes some representative sites, not only of geological and paleontological heritage but also those of archaeological, ecological, historical, and cultural interest.
URLThis initiative is focused on nature conservation and particularly on the enhancement of geodiversity, that is, the diversity of the non-living components of ecosystems, including rocks, fossils, minerals, and soils. Geodiversity complements biodiversity and, together, they make up natural diversity. In geoparks, social aspects must also be considered, so that nature and society are addressed synergistically in these territories. Biodiversity, geodiversity, and cultural diversity are three key elements to understanding them.
In these territories, education, geo-conservation, and geo-tourism are the guiding threads for the promotion of local development that will benefit their inhabitants. Without local participation, a geopark cannot be developed.
Geoparks around the world and in Mexico
As of September 2022, UNESCO has designated 177 geoparks in 45 countries. Most of them are in Europe, Southeast Asia, and China. In Latin America, although several projects are underway, only ten geoparks have been established. In 2017, UNESCO Global Geoparks were established in the Mixteca Alta (High Mixteca), Oaxaca, and the Comarca Minera (Miner’s Region), Hidalgo.
The Mixteca Alta Geopark lies in the territory of nine municipalities in Oaxaca, some of which have high marginalization and emigration rates. Its landscape is characterized by exposed geology due to deep soil erosion derived from its intensive use for thousands of years. This landscape combines narratives in which the participation of society, and its interaction with biodiversity and geodiversity, is the central story conveyed to visitors.
The Comarca Minera Geopark covers a territory of about 1,800 square kilometers; tourism is traditionally the main activity and a source of income for the population. This territory bases its importance on mining since, during the 18th Century, it was the world’s leading silver producer.
Recently both geoparks received from UNESCO the Green Card that extense their registration for four more years.
There are other projects under development in Mexico, in Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Coahuila, Queretaro, and other states. Undoubtedly, these are viable alternatives that are based on the extraordinary natural and cultural heritage of our country.
Geoparks: A Short History
Four geoparks constituted the European Geoparks Network in 2000, and three years later representatives of 25 territories (17 in Europe and eight in China) met in Paris to establish the Global Geoparks Network.
In 2015, during the 38th General Conference of UNESCO, the network was formalized through its legal establishment and a new UNESCO website: https://en.unesco.org/global-geoparks/. Soon the web presence of each one in this network was created, currently holding more than 160 nodes in more than 45 countries.
UNESCO supports member states’ initiatives for the establishment of geoparks in collaboration with the network. Support includes training on how to propose an initiative. They do not represent regions that have been designated as protected areas or natural reserves; they may or may not coincide with them, but their purposes are similar. What is different is the holistic conservation perspective that integrates the human and cultural aspects with geodiversity and biodiversity in a sense that rescues resilience characteristics of ecosystems, landscapes, and cultures.
The UNESCO Global Geoparks Secretariat evaluates the proposals received for the establishment of each new site, following a democratic and inclusive logic that begins with grassroots organizations and includes the communities that live and develop in the territory proposed as a geopark, and starts with a dialogue with the academic sector that conducts research in the area.
The first thing to do is to read the statutes and operational guidelines (available at https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000234539) to find out what a proposal must include before it is submitted for evaluation, starting with “containing geology of international significance”. The evaluation is conducted by “professional scientists from Earth science disciplines” who review indicators for following criteria:
- The geopark is a unified (clearly delimited) single area with sites and landscapes of global geological value and holistic management focused on protection, education, research, and sustainable development.
- It uses its geological legacy in connection with the natural and cultural heritage to raise awareness of key issues in a changing world, geological processes, sustainable use of resources, and empowerment of indigenous peoples.
- It must have a management team officially recognized by national legislation and capable of providing full attention to it.
- If its territory overlaps with other territories recognized by UNESCO such as World Heritage sites or biosphere reserves, the request must be amply justified and must include synergies with overlapping sites.
- It should actively involve local communities and indigenous peoples as protagonists of the actions and co-management programs to be part of the project, share knowledge, and collaborate with the Global Geoparks Network.
- It must comply with local legislation regarding the conservation of the geological legacy.
Once established, the geopark will promote its geo-sites (emblematic sites in terms of geodiversity, biodiversity, and cultural diversity) and geo-routes around which promotion, protection, research, and development activities will be organized.
Based on information from UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, and the legal instruments of the project, available in the UNESCO website: https://en.unesco.org/global-geoparks/.
José Luis Palacio Prieto has master’s and doctorate degrees in Geography from UNAM. He completed specialization studies in Integrated Watershed Management, Geographic Information, and Remote Sensing Systems at the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences in the Netherlands. Former director of UNAM’s Institute of Geography, General Coordinator of the Postgraduate Program, and Director of the Teaching Centre for Foreigners. He is a member of the National Researchers System. He is interested in geomorphology and land use change assessment using satellite imagery. He was the first director of UNAM’s National School of Earth Sciences for the period 2018-2022.
English version by Ángel Mandujano Mariscal
English version by Ángel Mandujano Mariscal
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