The 8th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geoparks took place in the Adamello Brenta UNESCO Global Geopark, Trentino Province, Italy, from 11th to 14th September 2018. This time the conference theme was “Geoparks and sustainable development”.
Over 800 delegates that work with geoparks met and some 60 countries were represented. The conference started with an opening ceremony and keynote lectures, followed by two other days of intensive seminars and workshops and a field trip to geopark’s natural, geological and cultural locations. Over 200 sessions were organized in 5 parallel rooms, where geopark representatives, scientists and other stakeholders gave their informative and inspiring presentations. Each room was dedicated to a specific topic:
- Sustainable tourism and local development;
- Education, public awareness and communication;
- Conservation, science and research;
- Climate change and geohazards;
- Aspiring geoparks.
Magma Geopark presented two projects during the sessions: geoVR and GEOfood. Both projects got a lot of attention, followed by numerous inquiries regarding possible cooperation. The projects are up and running and expanding increasingly. The goal of Magma Geopark now is to maintain the existing partnerships and acquire new ones, and the setting of the conference was a perfect occasion to do just that.
Several social events were also arranged to accompany the conference, which was ideal for mingling between geopark staff, scientists and representatives from different authority institutions. Countless amounts of ideas have been exchanged and a general feedback from most geoparks signalizes that this international event has been highly successful in terms of knowledge exchange, inspiration and networking.
