Geoparks A powerful new development vehicle for regional Australia

Transcription

1 Geoparks A powerful new development vehicle for regional Australia Professor Ross Dowling OAM Chair, Great South West Edge National Landscape Spotlight 7 Regional Tourism and Geotourism Thursday 27 October

2 Australia s National Landscapes A conservation and tourism partnership

3 Australia s National Landscapes Program A partnership between tourism and conservation that: Promotes world class, high quality visitor experiences Increases the value of tourism to regional economies Enhances the role of protected areas in those economies Builds support for protecting our natural and cultural assets A long term strategic approach To differentiate Australia s iconic natural and cultural destinations from anything else available in the world 3

4 Australia s National Landscapes 4

5 National Landscapes & Geoparks 1. Australia s National Landscape Program is no longer supported by the Australian Govt 2. It never gained traction because it was a topdown program 3. In addition, no one outside of Australia knew what a National Landscape was 4. At the same time we were establishing NLs the rest of the world was setting up Geoparks 5. Australia is now ready for Geoparks 5

6 Founded in member states UNESCO World Heritage Man and the Biosphere UNESCO Global Geoparks 6

7 7

8 UNESCO Programs Program Sites Countries World Heritage Man and the Biosphere UNESCO Global Geoparks

9 Australia s UNESCO Sites Program Sites World Heritage 22 Man and the Biosphere 14 UNESCO Global Geoparks 0 9

10 Geoparks A Geopark is an area with a geological heritage of significance, with a coherent and strong management structure and where a sustainable economic development strategy is in place They are either national or global There are 120 global geoparks in 33 countries on five continents Europe - 69 North America - 2 Asia - 46 [China has 33] South America - 2 Africa - 1 Australia

11 Global Geoparks 11

12 European Geoparks 12

13 China s Global Geoparks 33 13

14 Are Geoparks only about Geology? 14

15 Geoparks vs National Parks 1. Geopark are not the same as National Parks 2. Instead they are vehicles for fostering community-based, sustainable, regional economic development 15

16 UNESCO Global Geoparks UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development 16

17 Geoparks Geoparks are both a development concept as well as a branding tool. They achieve these goals through: 1. Conservation 2. Education 3. Geotourism 17

18 Geoparks Geoparks are sites of significant geological heritage with: 1. Geo-conservation activities 2. Sustainable tourism activities 3. Educational activities 4. Community involvement 5. Strong management structures 6. A secure financial basis 18

19 19

20 20

21 21

22 22

23 23

24 24

25 25

26 26

27 27

28 28

29 Levels of Geoparks No Level Appellation 1 Local Aspiring 2 National National 3 Regional eg. European 4 Global Global 29

30 The Geoparks Brand In China in the first decade there were over 1.1 billion visitors to geoparks (over 100 million visitors per annum) Entry fees were RMB 7 Billion ($1.5B) The geoparks generated permanent full time jobs and part time jobs In the United Kingdom the contribution of seven geoparks is 18.84m ($37m) 30

31 Yuntaishan Geopark, China Economic Benefits The total income brought about by tourism is RMB 2291 million (AUD$470 million) This accounts for 32% of the local GDP The number of jobs generated by the geopark is The geopark has lifted the county out of poverty to become relatively well off 31

32 Maybe Australia s GSWE Geopark? 32

33 The Great South West Edge Attractions 33

34 The Great South West Edge Touring Route International ready experiences from Bunbury to Esperance Promoted by Tourism Australia, RTO s, Tourism WA Development of packages targeted at international visitors Education of operators on meeting market expectations 34

35 35

36 36

37 GSWE National Landscape The Longest National Landscape in Australia Australia s GSWE Geopark would need to be more compact 37

38 Australia s GSWE Geopark? 38

39 39

40 The Granite Skywalk, Castle Rock Porongurup National Park 40 Photo: Andrew Halsall, DPAW

41 The Gap, Albany 41 Photo: Peter Nicholas, DPAW

42 Conclusions 1. Geoparks are the new National Landscapes 2. They have a well established global network 3. Chinese and European visitors know geoparks 4. Geoparks foster community-based, sustainable, regional, economic development 5. Australia needs geoparks they are the only continent without them 42

43 The Boom in Chinese Tourism Uluru Kakadu 43

44 Geoparks A powerful new development vehicle for regional Australia THE END Professor Ross Dowling OAM Edith Cowan University r.dowling@ecu.edu.au 44