Review and Outlook of Global Geoparks Network

The global geoparks network was reviewed in terms of its establishment background,management,progress and so on to gain an outlook on its future in this paper.It can be concluded that the network will have more evenly and extensively-distributed members throughout the world,more thorough and comprehensive cooperation between its members,more

Geoscientific Significance and Classification of National Geoparks of China

The conservation of geological remains in China, especially in renowned sites with historical or cultural significance, has long been paid attention to. As the urban residents become more interested in returning to and harmony with the nature, tourism related sciences and knowledge gets more attractive. Geosites and geoparks can definitely play an important role to lead this historic tendency.

The Theory and Practice of the Interpretation Identification System Designing of Geoparks

In this paper,the author defined the interpretation system of geoparks,studied the designing princeples and methods of the interpretation identification system,including the information,content and appearance. Furthermore,the designing of the interpretation identification system designing of the Hanas National Geopark was conducted as an empirical study,

Multi-designated geoparks face challenges in China’s heritage conservation

The author selects a thorny issue of doubled designations that bother policy-makers, professional planners and managers in the field of conservation for protected areas. The analyzed case study areas cover 5 National Geoparks of China in Sichuan Province, 18 UNESCO Global Geoparks in China, and 219 World Heritage sites in China and 8 European nations. Through analysis and synthesis, the author concludes that doubled designation, which also leads to unbalanced park distribution, is particularly prevalent in China other than in Europe. Therefore, on-site management agencies and related governments in China should carefully translate the doubled designations into responsibilities and harmonious partnerships between all stakeholders in order to enhance the management effectiveness and avoid paper park phenomenon.

Construction of Popular Science Tourism Evaluation Index System for Geoparks and Empirical Analysis

Popular science tourism is a new tourism mode, and geopark scenic area is an important carrier of popular science tourism. It is the premise and foundation for the popular science tourism development of geoparks to establish a scientific evaluation index system and evaluation model. On the basis of analyzing relevant evaluation models, this paper explored the evaluation system and model of geopark popular science tourism in following steps. First, establish the index system. Based on the theory method, frequency method, and expert consultation method, this paper established the popular science tourism evaluation index system of geopark scenic area. The evaluation index system includes 3 primary indexes, 8 secondary indexes and 30 tertiary indexes. Second, define index weight and scoring standards. Index weights were defined using Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP), the measuring method of each index and the scoring standards were specified. Third, evaluation model and grade. The evaluation model of popular science tourism development was constructed, and the evaluation results were classified into 4 grades. Fourth, empirical study. The evaluation model was applied to measure and investigate popular science tourism of Henan Yuntain Mountain World Geopark, and the final score was 7.619, indicating a higher evaluation grade of popular science tourism of the park.

Disciplinary System of Scientific Research on Geoparks and the Prospects

A geopark is a scientific theme park with the main body of geoheritage and is usually of significance of scientific research.Scientific research on geoparks may provide a sound basis for geoheritage conservation; enhance the scientificity of geoscience popularization and interpretation.In turn,it can promote the development of geosciences,technologies and other related disciplines.The purpose of this study is to define the concept of scientific

The Geoheritage Resource Evaluation of Fossil-dominated Geoparks in China:Ningcheng Geopark of Inner Mongolia Case Study

There are more than 30 fossil-dominated geoparks established in China.Most of them are of high scientific values.Compared to landscape-dominated geoparks,the fossil-dominated ones generally lack of charming natural sceneries,but the abundant and exquisite preserved fossils in geoparks are very attractive to the public.In order to protect and exploit these fossils,the evaluation plays an important role in the geopark construction.Ningcheng geopark is famous for the Mesozoic Daohugou biota.The fossil assemblage is different from Jehol biota,which attracts many experts.In this paper the

Exploring factors of disaster preparedness in UNESCO-designated heritage sites

Increased hazards threatening the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)-designated sites and endangering cultural heritage and community well-being require attention and action.Con-sidering the pivotal role of UNESCO sites in conservation and development,this study assessed their levels of disaster preparedness.The absence of studies assessing disaster awareness,risk perception,and preparedness among UNESCO site actors,as well as the pivotal place of preparedness within the Disaster Risk Management(DRM)cycle justifies this research.Applying the tenets of the Person-Relative-to-Event framework,we hypothe-sized that a strong positive correlation exists between perceived risks,resources,and disaster preparedness.To collect pertinent data,we employed an embedded mixed-method design and conducted an online questionnaire survey yielding 141 responses from 59 countries.From the results of relevant analyses,wildfires,floods,and droughts are top hazards occurring frequently in UNESCO sites,with significant concerns about pollution and habitat loss during future events.Smartphones emerged as the most available crucial DRM resource,with higher availability of DRM resources correlating positively and significantly with sites’preparedness.Our findings con-tribute valuable insights to address missing links for disaster-ready and resilient UNESCO sites,promoting their preservation for future generations.

Planning and Design of Geological Landscape Popular Science Exhibition in Urban Geopark:A Case Study of Zhengzhou Yellow River National Geopark

Urban geopark is the backyard garden of urban residents’life.Geological landscape popular science exhibition enables people to receive geological popular science knowledge easily and happily while playing,which will virtually strengthen people’s protection awareness of urban geological landscape.Urban geopark landscape is featured by unique typical geological characteristics.It is a realistic problem that troubles the planning and design of geological landscape popular science exhibition in urban geopark by effectively protecting these geological landscapes and upgrading them into urban popular science leisure tourism resources.Taking Zhengzhou Yellow River National Geopark as an example,this paper systematically studies the planning and design of geological landscape popular science exhibition in urban geopark.

The impact of tourism on soils in Zhangjiajie World Geopark

The soil hardness, soil water content and soil bulk density along the trails of six scenic spots in the Zhangjiajie World Geopark were measured and analyzed, and the integrated effects of tourism trampling on soils were evaluated for each scenic spots by calculating its soil impact indexes （SII） in the park. The results indicated that visitors＇ activities caused a serious influence on the soil in the park, especially in the two most used scenic spots-- Yellowstone Village and Gold Whip Stream. The impact of tourism on soil mainly occurred within 3 m along the trails. The impact shapes are classified into six type as single-sided node type, double-sided node type, cross node type, single-sided linkage type, double-sided linkage type and short-cut linkage type. Of six types of impact shapes, the single-sided node type and double-sided type were dominant. The average water contents of soil for six scenic spots at sample areas of 1 m, 2 m and 3 m from trial is 36.6%, 24.5% and 2.2% lower than that of the control area, respectively. The average soil hardness for six scenic spots at 1m, 2 m, and 3m from the trails tramped increased 167.9%, and 122.2%, and 15.8%, respectively, compared with the control area. Soil bulk density increased 26.5% at 1 m and 20.9% at 2 m from the trails. The main countermeasures for reducing the range and extent of tourism impact on soil are discussed.

Analysis on the Influencing Factors of Residents' WTP for Environmental Protection in Tourist Destination——A Case Study of Yellow River Stone Forest in Jingtai of Gusu Province

On the basis of questionnaire survey,by adopting Contingent Valuation Method,residents' WTP for the protection of Yellow River Hoodoo National Geopark in Longwan Village,Jingtai County of Gansu Province was investigated.The result showed that tourism development had greatly influenced local society,economy and culture.Residents in this area had a strong awareness of all the factors above mentioned and showed a positive attitude.Local residents would definitely like to provide a certain degree of labor or money to promote the development of tourism,which was different from the residents' attitude of developed countries.To some extent,it reflected the characteristics of tourism development in developing countries.However,the result of this paper that demographic among residents had little effect on WTP also differed from previous researches.The improvement of living standard and residents' consciousness of environmental protection were the main reasons affecting residents' WTP.Besides,the amount of payment was also in remarkable correlation with the improvement of living standard and the destruction degree of local ecological environment.

Satisfaction Evaluation on Tourism Interpretation of Cuihuashan National Geopark in Xi'an

Through questionnaire,satisfaction evaluation of tourism interpretation was obtained in Cuihuashan National Geopark in Xi'an.The result showed that tourists' evaluation of interpretation system was bad;the worst evaluation was that on tour guidance and visitor center;the worsen evaluation was that on advice brand,prints,audio-visual products and signboards.The reasons were:the guide quality was low and interpretation content was not scientific;signboards were few in quantity and unreasonable in arrangement;audio-visual products and guideposts were few in species,poor in practical applicability and not exquisite in design;visitor center of the scenic area provided less information services and convenient services.Finally,some suggestions were proposed to perfect tourism interpretation of Cuihuashan National Geopark.

Landscape Formation and Protection of the Hukou Waterfall

Establishing geoparks is an effective approach to protect natural resources and promote local tourism industry. The national geopark of the Hukou Waterfall is an important geopark which attracts more than 2 million tourists per year. The Hukou Waterfall is formed by combination of multiple knickpoints due to the longitudinal profile analysis. Like other waterfalls in the world, the Hukou Waterfall will disappear in the future. Considering the mechanisms of waterfall evolution, this paper suggests establishing control engineering, preserving the water and soil in nearby region, and reinforcing the structure of waterfall to preserve the landscape of waterfall.

Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Plutonism in the Northern Part of the Precambrian North China Craton:SHRIMP Zircon U-Pb Dating of Diorites and Granites from the Yunmengshan Geopark,Beijing

The Yunmengshan Geopark in northern Beijing is located within the Yanshan range. It contains the Yunmengshan batholith, which is dominated by two plutons： the Yunmengshan gneissic granite and the Shicheng gneissic diorite. Four samples of the Yunmengshan gneissic granite give SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages from 145 to 141 Ma, whereas four samples of the Shicheng gneissic diorite have ages from 159 Ma to 151 Ma. Dikes that cut the Yunmengshan diorite record SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age of 162±2 and 156±4 Ma. The cumulative plots of zircons from the diorites show a peak age of 155 Ma, without inherited zircon cores, and the peak age of 142 Ma for granite is interpreted as the emplacement age of the Yunmengshan granitic pluton, whose igneous zircons contain inherited zircon cores. The data presented here show that there were two pulses of magmatism： early diorites, followed c13 Ma later by true granites, which incorporated material from an older continental crust.

Upper Cretaceous alluvial fan deposits in the Jianglangshan Geopark of Southeast China:implications for bedrock control on Danxia landform evolution

The Jianglangshan Geopark in the western Zhejiang Province of Southeast China is well-known for its spectacular red-colored sandstone landforms. Little is known about the depositional processes of the conglomerate-dominated Fangyan Formation, the lithologic base of the Danxia landforms in this geopark. Based on detailed field investigation of lithology, sedimentary structures, bed thickness and geometry, five facies are recognized: facies A(matrixsupported cobble conglomerate), facies B(pebble conglomerate), facies C(pebbly sandstone), facies D(fine-grained sandstone) and facies E(mudstone). The results show that streamflow-dominated fans were the main depositional processes responsible for the accumulation of the Fangyan Formation along the mountain fronts. These fan conglomerates form the base for the evolution of the Danxia landscapes owing to the uplift and erosion of the study area. In contrast, the fine-grained sedimentary successions produced by fluvial floodplains in the distal part of the fans were thinner and more easily weathered. Such sedimentary facies distribution patterns were thought to be similar during Late Cretaceous across Southeast China. The Danxia landforms are largely the geographical expressions of the conglomerate-dominated redbeds in the proximal-middle fans.

Origin of beaded tafoni in cliffs of Danxia landscapes,Longhushan Global Geopark, South China

The tafoni that develop in sandstone cliffs have attracted the interest of both scientists and the general public. A necklace-like tafone system, referred to here as beaded tafoni, has developed in the prominent cliffs of the Danxia landscapes within the Longhushan Global Geopark in the subtropical zone of South China. This paper presents a new model of the formation of this system of extraordinary beaded tafoni. The cliffs of the Danxia landscapes of the study area are composed of an alluvial conglomerate(i.e.,red beds). These Danxia landscapes have subrounded summits that are covered by vegetation and experience a nearly vertical water flow induced by gravity. Erosion and collapse of the outsized gravels and concentrated pebbles in the red beds give rise to the initial development of the beaded tafoni. The tafoni then become rounded and beaded as a result of reworking and decay by fluvial outwash. During storms, intense water flows run vertically down the cliffs and generate a whirling motion in the tafoni.Consequently, the inside walls of the tafoni gradually become wider and smoother. During the late development stage, the beaded tafoni tend to become indistinct or disappear because of the interconnection of the tafoni and subsequent merging with the bedding-controlled cavities.

The Realization of Popularity in the Geopark Interpretation System

By analyzing the existing research achievements on the geopark interpretation system,this article has brought up a new explanation of the system from the aspect of easy-understood principle.We try to present our tourists with geoheritage,natural and cultural resources by various medium,so that people could know more about geosciences during the tour.In the end,geoheritage protection is enhanced by such

Geo-heritage Landscape Types and Value Evaluation in Funiu Mountain World Geopark

To explore a practical and sustainable development path for Funiu Mountain World Geopark, the authors classified geo-heritage landscapes into 4 main categories, 12 categories and 20 sub-categories, according to Technical Specifications for Compiling Planning of National Geopark and other research results. Comparative significance of its typical geological heritages in domestic and international geoscience research was analyzed; scientific value of the geological remains was evaluated together with aesthetic value, science popularization and education value, and tourism development value.

Geotourism Potential in Uzbekistan

As it is known that geoparks are specific nature protection unit which possesses both scientific value, and picturesque landscapes.It is also a specific way of use of bowels of the Earth.Geological nature sanctuaries have their own specificities—in them the information about geological,biological and other stories of the Earth is ciphered.The geoparks intiative adds a new dimension to the 1972

Evaluation of the Validity of Interpretation System for the Visitors to Yuntaishan Global Geopark in China

This study was conducted over a twelve-month period of study at Yuntaishan Global Geopark centered to assess the validity of interpretation system for the visitors there.And the author designed four sets of questionnaires for it,one for Chinese visitors, one for English-speaking visitors,one for the interpreters and one for management staffs of Yuntaishan Global Geopark.1149 Chinese visitors,15 English-speaking visitors,63 interpreters and