12 New Global Geoparks Named by UNESCO

The 12 newly designated geoparks are located in China, France, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Tunisia - marking its first geopark - and Uruguay.

The UNESCO Global Geoparks designation, created in 2015, brings together territories recognized for their rich geological heritage. These rock formations, mountain or volcanic ranges, caves, canyons, fossil sites or ancient desert landscapes each bear witness to our planet's history, evolution and climate. The sites combine conservation, environmental education and a sustainable approach to development, while also supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities in promoting their culture and know-how.

Each year, new sites are added to the network by decision of UNESCO's Executive Board, after an evaluation of the applications by the Global Geoparks Council made up of international experts.

UNESCO continues to promote the programme in areas where geoparks are less common, notably in Africa, the Arab States and Small Island Developing States. UNESCO does this by facilitating expert missions, tailored training sessions and individual consultations on both a national and local scale, to guide the preparation of applications for UNESCO Global Geopark status.

The new UNESCO Global Geoparks are:

China

Changshan UNESCO Global Geopark

Changshan UNESCO Global Geopark, located at the junction of the Yangtze and Cathaysia massifs along the Jiangshan-Shaoxing tectonic belt, stands out as an exceptional natural geological museum and laboratory for paleontological studies. Showcasing over a billion years of geological history, the mountainous landscape has a subtropical monsoon climate and is rich in biodiversity, featuring evergreen broad-leaved forests and a complex terrain sloping from the north and south towards the centre. The geopark preserves well-developed stratigraphic sequences and abundant, diverse fossils, which support global biostratigraphic studies, providing key insights into early life evolution and long-term tectonic processes.

Changshan boasts a history of over 1,800 years, and today around 300,000 people from nine ethnic groups live in the area, contributing to the stewardship of the region's cultural and natural heritage. Cultural heritage is closely intertwined with the region's landscape, as Changshan was an important link in the Maritime Silk Road, and during the Song Dynasty it was an important traffic artery which became renowned for its flourishing literary scene. The continuous study of Song poetry with over 4,000 recorded poems reflects the people's deep connection to the land. The land continues to support local livelihoods, with the strata of the geopark meaning the soil contains a high content of nutrient elements beneficial for agriculture. Changshan is known in China as the hometown of citrus changshan-hayou and tea-oil camellia, and the geopark actively encourages the development of this characteristic agriculture, playing on its local advantages and bringing shared prosperity to the local community.

Mt. Siguniang UNESCO Global Geopark

Mt. Siguniang UNESCO Global Geopark is situated on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, featuring an alpine terrain with distinct vertical climate zones. The geopark is known for its complex tectonics, including folds, flysch deposits, and towering granite peaks. Significant geological formations such as the "Xikang-type" folds, "Xikang Group" flysch, offer key insights into continental collision. Traversed primarily by the Fubian, Wori and Xiaojinchuan Rivers, the region exhibits a dendritic drainage pattern in the upper Yangtze basin. These landforms record the uplift processes of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with dramatic alpine landscapes and numerous peaks towering over 5,000 metres.

Today, approximately 33,000 people inhabit the Mt. Siguniang UNESCO Global Geopark, with the region being a key settlement for Jiarong Tibetan communities. The Tibetan language and associated cultural practices continue to be central to community identity and intergenerational knowledge transmission, and every year the Mt. Siguniang Pilgrimage Festival is held, paying homage to the legend that four girls transformed into mountain peaks. The region's distinctive folding structures and tectonic context are of global scientific significance, while the region's pastoralism, architecture, and cultural practices reflect long-standing relationships with and adaptation to high-altitude environments. Environmentally friendly tourism connects outsiders with the spectacular scenery in a way that supports sustainable local development and gives visitors a chance to experience traditional Tibetan dance, cuisine, and art, reflecting the practical knowledge and practices of the people developed over generations in the region.

France

Terres d'Hérault UNESCO Global Geopark

The Terres d'Hérault UNESCO Global Geopark is a name composed of two words. "Terres," which makes the link to the soil and geology of the region, and "Hérault" corresponds to the main river that crosses the department in the Occitanie region of Southern France, which has the same name. The territory distinguished by dramatic landforms and deep canyons showcases over 540 million years of geological history. Its rock formations record key Earth processes including sedimentation, tectonics, volcanism, metamorphism, and erosion, making the area a natural open-air laboratory. Remarkable geological sites include the Coumiac marble quarry, the Navacelles cirque, and Salagou Lake, one of Europe's largest exposures of red rock formations formed over 250 million years ago, along with volcanic features.

This geopark reveals Earth's dynamic history, climatic shifts, and ancient life. Spanning 112 municipalities, over 100,000 people live in the Terres d'Hérault region, and its exceptional geological features and cultural diversity offer outstanding opportunities to support tourism and agriculture, with the region home to livestock and vineyards. Here, geological features have shaped settlement patterns, agricultural practices, architecture, and local traditions for centuries. Occitan culture is deeply rooted within the region and continues to flourish. The local population continues to speak the Occitan language and partake in Occitan traditions, with visitors offered a unique chance to discover outstanding geosites and experience a place where geology directly connects to daily life.

Greece

Nisyros UNESCO Global Geopark

Nisyros UNESCO Global Geopark, located in the southeastern Aegean Sea at the heart of the Dodecanese island group, encompasses the volcanic island of Nisyros and its surrounding islets. This compact geopark is remarkably diverse, shaped by one of the youngest and most active volcanic systems in Greece, and features one of the best-preserved calderas in the Aegean. The geopark presents a natural open-air geological museum, including the Stefanos hydrothermal crater, one of Europe's largest and most accessible, alongside a series of hydrothermal craters, fields, lava domes, volcanic cones, and submarine volcanic centres. These features make Nisyros a natural laboratory for studying active volcanism, geothermal systems, and the evolution of young volcanic islands within the Hellenic Volcanic Arc.

Ecologically, the geopark hosts a diversity of habitats, with its volcanic soil supporting endemic and rare plant species, while terraced landscapes, dry-stone walls, and small-scale agriculture reflect long coexistence between people and nature. Villages such as Nikía and Mandraki preserve volcanic-stone architecture, and monasteries like Panagia Spiliani highlight spiritual heritage. In Nisyros, geology and human history are inseparable, and the geopark has encouraged the community to participate in heritage preservation through collaborations with local schools and research institutions, encouraging the next generation of environmental stewardship. Visitors are drawn to Nisyros for its cultural authenticity, with vibrant traditions of festivals, music and gastronomy very much still alive.

Ireland

Joyce Country and Western Lakes Global Geopark

The rocks and landscapes of Joyce Country and Western Lakes UNESCO Global Geopark tell a story that spans 700 million years, linked to the mountain-building event of the Grampian-Taconic Orogeny (a major period of mountain formation over 450 million years ago). This has created great geodiversity in the park, displaying a wide range of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, and a rich fossil record. It is also home to Ireland's only fjord at Killary Harbour. Limestone terrains in the east have developed extensive karst and epikarst systems, including the Cong isthmus, where you can find one of the world's fastest flowing spring complex and multiple cave systems.

Around 60% of the geopark lies in a Gaeltacht area where Irish is a living language for home, education, business, and social life, making Joyce Country and Western Lakes the first UNESCO Global Geopark on the island of Ireland to include a Gaeltacht area. Irish is deeply embedded in local culture and has influenced the language of science itself, with terms such as "drumlin" derived from the Irish "droimainn", now used internationally in glaciology. Communities across the region continue to participate in music, storytelling, crafts and cuisine, helping to keep the Irish language and associated cultural practices alive, such as Gaelic football, handball and traditional basket making using locally grown willows, with the geopark promoting sustainable development by supporting local businesses to keep the area's intangible heritage alive.

Japan

Miné-Akiyoshidai Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark

Miné-Akiyoshidai Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark features a diverse landscape of mountains, valley plains, and the Akiyoshidai karst plateau, known for its dolines and extensive limestone caves. The plateau's grasslands, shaped by centuries of traditional burning, support unique limestone-adapted flora and fauna. The Akiyoshidai Karst Plateau, a key feature of the Miné-Akiyoshidai Geopark, is formed from the Akiyoshi Limestone, offering an 80-million-year record of marine ecosystems. This limestone, along with the fossil-rich Mine Group, preserves evidence of terrestrial life on land after the Permian extinction around 250 million years ago, including recently discovered plant and insect species. Nationally significant geological heritage includes skarn copper deposits formed by magma interacting with limestone around 100 million years ago, with this copper historically used in the Great Buddha of Nara, which is part of the UNESCO "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara" World Heritage Site.

The geopark lies within a "satochi satoyama" zone, a transition area between wilderness and urban spaces, rich in biodiversity and agricultural heritage. Historically, the economy centred on agriculture, forestry, and mining. While coal mining declined about 50 years ago, limestone mining continues, alongside a copper mining festival. Today, modern manufacturing and tourism is supported by the region's unique natural and cultural landscape. In this way, the geopark links Earth science with local culture, with sustainable tourism initiatives leading to economic development in the area, the geopark running educational programmes, and local universities conducting scientific research on the land.

Malaysia

Lenggong UNESCO Global Geopark

Lenggong UNESCO Global Geopark, located in Perak, Malaysia, is nestled between the Titiwangsa and Bintang mountain ranges. Its diverse landscapes include river terraces, limestone hills, and granite peaks. The region's tropical climate fosters dense rainforests rich in biodiversity, including endangered and endemic species like the Malayan tiger and Lenggong rock gecko, while limestone forests host rare plant species. The Lenggong Geopark also highlights outstanding geological heritage, including the Lawin Tuff, evidence of ancient volcanic activity linked to the supercontinent Gondwana, and granitic magmatism tied to major global tectonic collision. The region hosts rare granites, major faults such as Bok Bak, and suevite formed by a meteorite impact around 1.8 million years ago, as well as the thickest Toba super-eruption ash deposit outside Sumatra, left by one of Earth's most powerful volcanic eruptions about 74,000 years ago.

The population of about 61,000 is ethnically diverse, including Orang Asli Indigenous Peoples. Agriculture, aquaculture, and tourism are key economic drivers, with the region known for freshwater fish, cultural heritage, and preserved forest ecosystems supporting unique wildlife and traditional livelihoods. The geopark includes the Lenggong Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with one of the world's longest archaeological sequences, where stone tools, burial sites, and ancient settlements reveal a deep history of human adaptation to changing environments. Community-led initiatives and partnerships with researchers and educational institutions promote geotourism, heritage conservation, and traditional knowledge, ensuring that local people benefit from increased visitation while safeguarding both archaeological and natural sites.

Malaysia

Sarawak Delta UNESCO Global Geopark

Located in western Sarawak, Malaysia, the Sarawak Delta UNESCO Global Geopark sits at a major geological boundary where two ancient landmasses came together more than 200 million years ago, during the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana. This collision shaped the foundations of Borneo and has led to the Kuching Zone suture, which is a key piece of evidence for how Southeast Asia's landmasses have shifted over time. Today, the geopark is defined by a warm tropical climate and exceptional biodiversity, supported by an extensive river delta system and a landscape that transitions from low-lying plains to higher ground inland. The area preserves a long record of Earth's history, spanning over 250 million years, during which shifting plates and tectonic forces gradually reshaped Borneo

Home to over 600,000 people, this geopark includes Kuching - the UNESCO City of Gastronomy, where traditional street food and kopitam culture blend with fine dining and festivals. Kuching and neighbouring towns showcase the region's ethnic diversity and harmony, and locals partake in cultural dances, such as the Eagle dance of the Bidayuh Indigenous Peoples. Traditional agricultural, aquaculture and craft-making practices, along with more modern ecotourism practices, are supported by the region's strong transport network which links the region nationally and internationally, meaning visitors can experience the Sarawak Delta's rich geological history and sustainable land usage, showcasing the dynamic environment and traditions of the delta.

Portugal

Algarvensis UNESCO Global Geopark

The Algarvensis UNESCO Global Geopark is located in southern Portugal's Algarve region and presents a diverse geological history spanning 330 million years. The highly geodiverse territory is marked by a wide variety of rock types and landforms that record major tectonic, volcanic, and sedimentary processes shaping the region. Two extremely unique geological features are the tsunami deposits at Lagoa dos Salgados formed during the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and the Loulé Salt Mine, which is the deepest point in Portugal open to the public, and has served as a cornerstone of Portuguese industry for centuries. Located both at land and sea, the geopark preserves evidence of volcanic activity and limestone formation as well as extensive coastal marine environments, making it a key site for understanding the Earth's processes.

The Algarvensis hosts well-preserved Mediterranean ecosystems and a rich marine environment, and this biodiversity coexists with a strong cultural legacy, visible in megalithic monuments, ancient writing systems, Roman and Islamic heritage, traditional villages, craftsmanship and a gastronomy rooted in the Mediterranean Diet. As a hub for tourism coastal population densities triple in the summer months, with the region's economy relying heavily on the tertiary sector, while many inland areas face economic and population decline. The geopark tries to rebalance this pattern while uplifting the local communities, encouraging visitors to explore inland villages to experience local handicrafts and gastronomy. By connecting geology with local tourism, Algarvensis promotes a model of sustainable development, while also providing educational programmes to help steward the next generation of awareness to protect the environment.

Russian Federation

Toratau UNESCO Global Geopark

Toratau UNESCO Global Geopark is located at the junction of the southern part of the Ural Mountains and the eastern outskirts of the East European Platform, within the Republic of Bashkortostan. The territory is rich in unique geological sites of scientific, historical, and natural value, with rocks ranging from 1 billion to 250 million years old. Its main geological highlights are the three Shikhany mountains of Toratau, Yuraktau, and Kushtau, which are remnants of a massive barrier reef that formed approximately 280-300 million years ago. The geopark also includes important geological sections at Usolka and Dalny Tulkas, along with caves, waterfalls, gorges, mountain rivers, and rugged rock outcrops that reveal the long and complex history of the Southern Urals.

Natural and cultural heritage are closely intertwined in Toratau, as the geopark preserves ruins of ancient settlements and fortresses that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the region's past and learn about the culture and life of the peoples who have historically inhabited this area. Today the geopark supports locals by showcasing their cultural heritage, cuisine and craft, and has led to the creation of jobs inside the park. Geoguides and researchers of the geopark have also developed educational programmes to help local communities help understand, preserve and develop the region.

Tunisia

Dahar UNESCO Global Geopark

Dahar UNESCO Global Geopark in Southern Tunisia becomes the third in Africa, and offers a remarkable geological record spanning the last 250 million years, highlighting the earth's evolution. Situated on the northeastern edge of the Saharan Platform, Dahar features well-preserved, flat rock layers from the Mesozoic Era (about 250-66 million years ago) and diverse petrographic, mineralogical, and morphological features shaped by erosion and alteration, and marks the site where the Great Rift opened around 200 million years ago, initiating the formation of the Tethys Ocean and the breakup of the supercontient Pangaea into Gondwana and Laurasia. A key highlight is Jebel Tebaga, which hosts Africa's only known marine Upper Permian outcrop, featuring marine fossils formed over 250 million years ago.

Around 330,000 people live in the geopark area, where agriculture and livestock shaped by arid environmental conditions form the main economic activities. Human adaptation to this challenging environment is evident in traditional water systems, oil mills, ksour (fortified granaries), and troglodytic dwellings, which link geology closely with cultural heritage and ingenious responses to scarce water and extreme temperatures. As tourism grows, supported by an improving road network and proximity to an international airport, the geopark works to provide visitors an authentic experience, exposing them to traditional crafts, food and practices.

Uruguay

Manantiales Serranos UNESCO Global Geopark

The Manantiales Serranos UNESCO Global Geopark is located in southeast Uruguay, in the Department of Lavalleja. The region presents a rich geological history, with more than 80% of the territory composed of metamorphic and igneous rocks that record significant tectonic activity. Over 28 distinct lithologies and valuable mineral deposits testify to the formation and breakup of ancient supercontinents such as Rodinia and Gondwana. Geological records document the opening of the Atlantic Ocean during the Mesozoic, which led to the separation of South America and Africa, followed by tectonic processes of uplift, erosion, non-deposition, and sedimentation accompanied by climate change.

Community is at the heart of the aptly-named 'Manantiales Serranos' ('Mountain Springs' in English), which was even named through a community-driven process to reflect the area's hilly landscape and abundant water sources. The region is home to the headwaters of the Santa Lucía River, Uruguay's third-largest basin, which supplies drinking water to 60% of the population and supports much of the country's industry. Its main urban centers include Minas, Solís de Mataojo, and the tourist village of Villa Serrana, which swells from 300 residents to 10,000 during peak seasons. Surrounding rural communities often bear names linked to local geological features. The region's economy is based on agriculture, livestock, mining, water use, and tourism, fostering a culture strongly connected to natural resources and committed to environmental conservation.

About UNESCO

With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions, with a global network of 200 National Commissions. Its Director-General is Khaled El-Enany.

"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed" - UNESCO Constitution, 1945.