AsiaNet 201129

CHONGQING, China, Sept. 30, 2025 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

The 9th International Training Course on UNESCO Global Geoparks with the theme of Management, Activities and Networking will be held from Oct. 9 to 15, in Yunyang UNESCO Global Geopark, located in west China's Chongqing Municipality.

During the course, UNESCO members and representatives from geoparks across the globe will gather to explore and share wisdom on the operation and management of global geoparks.

Since 2016 the annual course has rotated among eight Chinese geoparks -- Yanqing, Fangshan, Yimeng Mountain, Zhangye, western Hunan and now Yunyang -- boosting China's role in the worldwide geopark movement.

Yunyang pairs Earth's story with human history. Dinosaur footprints mingle with cutting-edge "compound-eye" scanning; 1200-year-old Zhang Fei Temple faces the Longgang karst tiankeng. The park's 1,197 relics and Tujia culture weave geology and tradition into one living landscape.

Two world-class treasures anchor the site: a colossal wall of Jurassic-Cretaceous dinosaur fossils and the dagger-sharp Longgang karst, a textbook tiankeng cluster. Together they draw scientists, hikers and noodle-lovers to a high-gorge lake retreat on the Three Gorges spine.

By binding fossil protection, eco-tourism and ethnic heritage, Yunyang delivers green jobs, revived culture and global visibility -- offering a replicable model for sustainable geoparks everywhere.

Source: The 9th International Training Course on UNESCO Global Geoparks