10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
[MIS10-05] Organizing ” the Joint Workshop on Volcano Tourism and Volcanological Experiments between Batur UGGp and Toya-Usu UGGp"
Keywords:Network Activities, Geo-Tourism, Science Communication, Bottom-up Approach
The Batur UNESCO Global Geopark (hereafter Batur UGGp) is a geopark that focuses on the history and culture of the people who live in the area, as well as the Batur Caldera, which was formed around 30,000 and 20,000 years ago, and the Batur volcano, which is an active volcano, in the northern part of Bali, Indonesia. On the other hand, the Toya-Usu UNESCO Global Geopark (hereafter Toya-Usu UGGp) is a geopark that focuses on the history and culture of the people living in the area around the Toya Caldera, which was formed approximately 110,000 years ago in Hokkaido, and the active volcano Usu. Both geoparks have many things in common, such as the fact that the main sites are the caldera and active volcano, and that the main theme is the lives of people in volcanic areas (coexistence with volcanoes), as well as the fact that they have been certified as UNESCO Global Geoparks.
As is well known, UNESCO Global Geoparks are required to share information and collaborate through network activities. After the APGN conference in 2019, Toya-Usu UGGp secretariat staff visited Batur UGGp to exchange opinions on the future of network activities. However, due to various circumstances, we have not been able to set up opportunities to collaborate. After that, due to the impact of CoVid-19, Toya-Usu UGGp was unable to fully engage in network activities with overseas Geoparks. During the re-accreditation review in 2023, it was pointed out that Toya-Usu UGGp should actively develop network activities and contribute to the world by disseminating the “disaster mitigation culture” it has cultivated. In addition, while tourism based around volcanoes is becoming popular in the Batur UGGp, there is a need to improve the quality of guides in the Geopark, and there was interest in tourism based around volcanoes in the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano area, which is a tourist area like the Batur Caldera.
One of the speakers, Yokoyama, has been involved in the development of a program for an “adventure tour” based on volcanoes in the Toya-Usu UGGp since 2023, and is also working to promote “volcano experiments”, a simple outreach method that can be used in tours. Sukma, on the other hand, is conducting research centered on tourism studies in Bali, and is aware of the issues surrounding volcanic tourism in the Barur UGGp. Therefore, we researchers planned and held the “Batur UGGp & Toya-Usu UGGp Volcanic Tourism & Volcanic Experiment Joint Workshop” as an opportunity to deepen the cooperative relationship between the two Geoparks in the future.
The joint workshop was held on Sunday, January 26, 2025. At the request of the local people, two lectures were given in the morning at the Geopark Museum on the caldera wall, and one lecture and an experimental workshop were held in the afternoon at the Geopark Secretariat in the caldera. In the morning, around 40 people attended, mainly researchers and university students involved in geopark management and volcanic tourism, while in the afternoon, around 20 people attended, including business operators involved in volcanic tourism in the geopark and representatives of local community organizations within the geopark.
These events were broadcast online by the Toya-Usu UGGp Secretariat, and around five local people watched as a public viewing. At the end of the workshop, the secretariat staff made a promise to continue to work together on joint projects in the future.
We think that this project is extremely valuable as an example of how researchers involved in Geoparks can launch joint projects between multiple Geoparks that go beyond the planning capabilities of the Geopark secretariats. Although not all of them, Japanese Geoparks have administrative decision-making procedures that are unique to Japan. However, it is possible for researchers from outside the Geopark to take action without going through such procedures, and by holding collaborative workshops as part of their research, they have shown the potential for activating network activities between Geoparks.
This research is being conducted with the support of KAKEN (23K02767).
As is well known, UNESCO Global Geoparks are required to share information and collaborate through network activities. After the APGN conference in 2019, Toya-Usu UGGp secretariat staff visited Batur UGGp to exchange opinions on the future of network activities. However, due to various circumstances, we have not been able to set up opportunities to collaborate. After that, due to the impact of CoVid-19, Toya-Usu UGGp was unable to fully engage in network activities with overseas Geoparks. During the re-accreditation review in 2023, it was pointed out that Toya-Usu UGGp should actively develop network activities and contribute to the world by disseminating the “disaster mitigation culture” it has cultivated. In addition, while tourism based around volcanoes is becoming popular in the Batur UGGp, there is a need to improve the quality of guides in the Geopark, and there was interest in tourism based around volcanoes in the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano area, which is a tourist area like the Batur Caldera.
One of the speakers, Yokoyama, has been involved in the development of a program for an “adventure tour” based on volcanoes in the Toya-Usu UGGp since 2023, and is also working to promote “volcano experiments”, a simple outreach method that can be used in tours. Sukma, on the other hand, is conducting research centered on tourism studies in Bali, and is aware of the issues surrounding volcanic tourism in the Barur UGGp. Therefore, we researchers planned and held the “Batur UGGp & Toya-Usu UGGp Volcanic Tourism & Volcanic Experiment Joint Workshop” as an opportunity to deepen the cooperative relationship between the two Geoparks in the future.
The joint workshop was held on Sunday, January 26, 2025. At the request of the local people, two lectures were given in the morning at the Geopark Museum on the caldera wall, and one lecture and an experimental workshop were held in the afternoon at the Geopark Secretariat in the caldera. In the morning, around 40 people attended, mainly researchers and university students involved in geopark management and volcanic tourism, while in the afternoon, around 20 people attended, including business operators involved in volcanic tourism in the geopark and representatives of local community organizations within the geopark.
These events were broadcast online by the Toya-Usu UGGp Secretariat, and around five local people watched as a public viewing. At the end of the workshop, the secretariat staff made a promise to continue to work together on joint projects in the future.
We think that this project is extremely valuable as an example of how researchers involved in Geoparks can launch joint projects between multiple Geoparks that go beyond the planning capabilities of the Geopark secretariats. Although not all of them, Japanese Geoparks have administrative decision-making procedures that are unique to Japan. However, it is possible for researchers from outside the Geopark to take action without going through such procedures, and by holding collaborative workshops as part of their research, they have shown the potential for activating network activities between Geoparks.
This research is being conducted with the support of KAKEN (23K02767).