12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
[MIS10-12] Comparison on Evaluation Process between UNESCO World Heritage and Geopark: Toward New Interactive Geopark Evaluation System
Keywords:Geopark, World heritage, UNESCO, Geopark Evaluation, Dialogue Evaluation, UNESCO Global Geoparks
The UNESCO World Heritage Convention, adopted in 1972 (hereinafter "World Heritage"), was the first international convention aimed at protecting heritage which has Outstanding Universal Value beyond national boundaries as the shared property of humanity. More than 50 years have passed since its adoption, and as of February 2025, the number of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List has reached 1,223. World Heritage includes not only tangible cultural heritage such as archaeological sites, buildings, and cultural landscapes but also natural heritage, which encompasses exceptional natural beauty, geological heritage, biodiversity, and habitats of endangered species. One of the key contribution of the World Heritage is that it integrates cultural and natural heritage within the same framework, thereby promoting their interconnectedness.
On the other hand, the history of UNESCO Global Geoparks (hereinafter "Geoparks") is relatively recent compared to World Heritage, as it became an official UNESCO program in 2015. While Geoparks primarily aim to conserve and utilize areas with internationally significant geological heritage, UNESCO has clearly stated that their scope is not limited to geological heritage alone. Instead, Geoparks seek to integrate and make use of any heritage in a region, including natural, cultural, and intangible heritage. In this regard, both World Heritage and Geoparks share the commonality of encompassing diverse category of heritage.
Another commonality between World Heritage and Geoparks is the strict evaluation process required to obtain UNESCO designation. In the case of World Heritage, advisory bodies composed of cultural and natural heritage experts conduct document reviews and on-site evaluations, ultimately presenting a four-tier preliminary assessment. Based on this assessment, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decideds on the inscription of the property. For Geoparks, official evaluators with specialized knowledge are dispatched by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council to conduct on-site inspections, and their evaluation serves as a significant reference for UNESCO's final decision.
While the systems of both sides share an international heritage protection framework based on experts' opinions, there are many points in which each of them has developed distinctly in the past 50 years of the World Heritage, and 10 years of the Geopark history.
This presentation will focus on World Heritage and Geoparks, both of which are UNESCO programs that share the common aim of protecting diverse heritage. Specifically, it will examine the evaluation systems used for UNESCO site designation, highlighting the differences between the two and recent changes in their processes. Furthermore, it will address key challenges in the evaluation system of Geoparks.
On the other hand, the history of UNESCO Global Geoparks (hereinafter "Geoparks") is relatively recent compared to World Heritage, as it became an official UNESCO program in 2015. While Geoparks primarily aim to conserve and utilize areas with internationally significant geological heritage, UNESCO has clearly stated that their scope is not limited to geological heritage alone. Instead, Geoparks seek to integrate and make use of any heritage in a region, including natural, cultural, and intangible heritage. In this regard, both World Heritage and Geoparks share the commonality of encompassing diverse category of heritage.
Another commonality between World Heritage and Geoparks is the strict evaluation process required to obtain UNESCO designation. In the case of World Heritage, advisory bodies composed of cultural and natural heritage experts conduct document reviews and on-site evaluations, ultimately presenting a four-tier preliminary assessment. Based on this assessment, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decideds on the inscription of the property. For Geoparks, official evaluators with specialized knowledge are dispatched by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council to conduct on-site inspections, and their evaluation serves as a significant reference for UNESCO's final decision.
While the systems of both sides share an international heritage protection framework based on experts' opinions, there are many points in which each of them has developed distinctly in the past 50 years of the World Heritage, and 10 years of the Geopark history.
This presentation will focus on World Heritage and Geoparks, both of which are UNESCO programs that share the common aim of protecting diverse heritage. Specifically, it will examine the evaluation systems used for UNESCO site designation, highlighting the differences between the two and recent changes in their processes. Furthermore, it will address key challenges in the evaluation system of Geoparks.