[M-ZZ46] Geoparks and Sustainability

[MZZ46-P15] Formulation of the Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Master Plan and Action Plan

*Ryoya Tabata¹, Tsuyoshi Hibino¹, Susan Maree May¹ (1.Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Promotion Council)

Keywords:Geopark, Action Plan, Master Plan, Hakusan Tedorigawa

After being certified as a Japanese Geopark in 2011, in 2012 the first plan “2012-2014 Action Plan for the Development of the Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark” was formed. The goal was to describe the development plan for the four years post-designation until the Japanese Geopark re-evalidation mission of 2014, focusing on activities in the aim to become a member of the Global Geopark Network. Following this in 2013, the Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark applied for a national recommendation in order to apply for Global Geopark designation, however the application was deferred. In response to the feedback outlined in the evaluation, the “Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Master Plan” was formed, and the Action Plan was revised to form the “Action Plan to Solve Issues in the Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark (2014-2016)”. Activities were conducted according to this plan, and in 2015 a second application was made for a national recommendation to apply for Global Geopark designation, resulting in an in-field evaluation mission, however again the application was deferred. Despite being in the middle of the Action Plan period, in 2015 the plan was once again revised according to the feedback of the evaluation, to form the “Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Action Plan 2016-2018”. During the second half of 2015, Global Geoparks officially became a program of UNESCO, now to be called UNESCO Global Geoparks, and without changing the goals, UNESCO Global Geopark designation became the aim. However in becoming a UNESCO program, there were a number of changes in the program guidelines, along with a transition period, and the decision was made to postpone any immediate application for national recommendation. The Action Plan was followed through 2018, and with the Japanese Geopark re-evaluation scheduled for 2019, the formation of a new Action Plan was postponed, with the Action Plan of 2016-2018 carried into 2019. In 2019, with a second successful re-validation, the “Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Action Plan 2020-2023” was formed in the aim of becoming a UNESCO Global Geopark. Following this in 2020, after receiving a national recommendation, an official application was made to UNESCO, and following the in-field evaluation mission in October 2022, the Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark was successfully designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark in May 2023. This designation coincided with the final year of both the Master Plan and Action Plan, and so the next revision must be made. Up until now the plan had been mostly made by the secretariat, and so on the occasion of this new revision, it was decided to invite the constituent groups, official guides, learning supporters, and related members of the Hakusan Tedorigawa Geopark Promotion Council to join in the process of forming a new plan. The formation of a new plan is not easy, and so this presentation summarizes the changes and performance indicators of past plans, as well as the reception to various problems, in the hopes of provided reference to fellow geoparks.