PORTUGUESE GEOPARKS

UNESCO World Geoparks are well-defined territories that have unique landscapes, with a geological heritage of international relevance. This heritage is worked through a holistic approach, where populations have an active role in creating development strategies, whose fundamental principles are Geoconservation, Education for Sustainable Development and Tourism.

With the purpose of stimulating cooperation between territories, promoting the sharing of information and good practices, with a view to protecting geological heritage and promoting sustainable development, the European Geoparks Network (EGN) was created in 2000 and, in 2004, the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) was founded. In November 2015, the UNESCO World Geoparks Program was created, with government recognition of the importance of valuing and preserving landscapes and places in an integrated way.

The Portuguese Geoparks Network began in 2006 with the accession of Geopark Naturtejo (1) to GGN. The second Portuguese Geopark to integrate this network was Arouca Geopark (2) in 2009, followed by Geopark Açores (3), in 2013, Geopark Terras de Cavaleiros (4), in 2014 and in 2020 it was classified as the fifth geopark Portuguese, with the integration of Estrela Geopark (5) into the European and Global Geopark Networks.

PORTUGUESE GEOPARKS UNESCO MAP

CONSTITUTION MAP OF THE EUROPEAN GEOPARKS NETWORK

JOINT ACTIONS