#geoparks

Can you think of an area that combines geology with environment, sustainable development, culture and tourism? Well, the answer is Global Geoparks. According to UNESCO -that has developed a Network of such Geoparks- these places are “single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development”. A UNESCO Global Geopark uses its geological heritage, in connection with all other aspects of the area’s natural and cultural heritage, to enhance awareness about climate change effects, while at the same it encourages sustainable development through geotourism and rural activities, as long as the geological resources of the area are protected.

Every second, an equivalent of four football fields of healthy land becomes degraded, adding up to a total of 100 million hectares each year

Each dollar invested in land restoration can yield up to $30 in return

In many countries affected by desertification, land degradation and drought, agriculture represents a high share of economic revenue

Under UNCCD, over 130 countries have already pledged to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030 towards a world where human activity has a neutral, or even positive, impact on the land

The United Nations supports innovative efforts worldwide, including the newly launched Great Green Wall Observatory, which tracks progress of Africa’s largest land restoration initiative to combat land degradation, desertification and the negative impacts of climate change in the Sahel region

The UN Educational. Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established a growing national and global networks of “Geoparks” combining conservation and sustainable development, with 213 UNESCO Global Geoparks operating in 48 countries and counting

Learn more about how the United Nations is helping.

Reversing Falls Rapids, one of only two reversing falls in the world, is where the Saint John River runs through a narrow gorge before emptying into the Bay of Fundy. The force of the tide of Fundy Bay – 160 million tons of seawater at high tide – overpowers the river, pushing it backwards. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com By Karen Rubin, with Dave E. Leiberman, Laini Miranda & Eric…