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
Australia s National Landscapes A conservation and tourism partnership
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
Australia s National Landscapes 4
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
Founded in 1945-193 member states UNESCO World Heritage Man and the Biosphere UNESCO Global Geoparks 6
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UNESCO Programs Program Sites Countries World Heritage 1052 165 Man and the Biosphere UNESCO Global Geoparks 669 120 120 33 8
Australia s UNESCO Sites Program Sites World Heritage 22 Man and the Biosphere 14 UNESCO Global Geoparks 0 9
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 - 0 10
Global Geoparks 11
European Geoparks 12
China s Global Geoparks 33 13
Are Geoparks only about Geology? 14
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
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
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
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
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Levels of Geoparks No Level Appellation 1 Local Aspiring 2 National National 3 Regional eg. European 4 Global Global 29
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 75 000 permanent full time jobs and 470 000 part time jobs In the United Kingdom the contribution of seven geoparks is 18.84m ($37m) 30
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 25 300 The geopark has lifted the county out of poverty to become relatively well off 31
Maybe Australia s GSWE Geopark? 32
The Great South West Edge Attractions 33
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
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GSWE National Landscape The Longest National Landscape in Australia Australia s GSWE Geopark would need to be more compact 37
Australia s GSWE Geopark? 38
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The Granite Skywalk, Castle Rock Porongurup National Park 40 Photo: Andrew Halsall, DPAW
The Gap, Albany 41 Photo: Peter Nicholas, DPAW
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
The Boom in Chinese Tourism Uluru Kakadu 43
Geoparks A powerful new development vehicle for regional Australia THE END Professor Ross Dowling OAM Edith Cowan University r.dowling@ecu.edu.au 44