Celebrating Planet Earth: UNESCO Assisted GEOPARKS in the Australasian-Pacific Region
1Chair, Volcanoes Discovery Trail Committee, 2Convenor, Australasia-Pacific Geoparks Network, 3Convenor Standing Committee on Geological Heritage, Geological Society of Australia
The recent initiative by UNESCO to establish a worldwide Network of Global Geoparks has important implications for Australia, especially western Victoria and southeastern SA. The Geological Society of Australia and various state government departments have been documenting geological sites of conservation and heritage value for over 30 years. The Geopark Network aims to promote geological sites for geotourism, education and research. The Geopark model most likely to be effective in Australia is a 'grass-roots' approach where local communities in conjunction with different levels of government take responsibility for their own region. Comparison with some of the European Geoparks Network provides useful examples. An informal network of people interested in forming Geoparks in Australia and the South Pacific has been formed. A formal application for a Global Geopark is currently underway for the region known as the Kanawinka Geopark, extending across the South Australian and Victorian borders. This Geopark is concerned predominantly with the volcanic landscapes of the Western District Volcanic Province and its geological context. This presentation will outline aspects of the proposed Kanawinka Geopark. The area proposed, extends from Colac and Red Rock to the coast of South Australia past Millicent and north to Nigretta and Wannon Falls and the base of the Grampians. This area has significant volcanic caves and associated karst areas and is of interest to both CEGSA and VSA. Since 1998 the local government bodies of this region commenced operation of the Volcanoes Discovery Trail Committee to promote the region and link geology with tourism. Important aspects of Geoparks are the links between the geology and the people, their stories, culture and history that build into a sustainable source of geotourism, bring jobs to rural and indigenous people and in turn help protect sites of importance and promote geoheritage complementing the work of the interested non government and government organisations.