Geoparks in SE Poland as Areas of Tourism Development: Current State and Future Prospects

Geoparks currently form the basis for the development of geotourism and, therefore, proposals of new geoparks are developed in many countries, including Poland, where over 20 locations for geoparks have been proposed so far. Two national geoparks have been established thus far, while another two have received the status of UNESCO Global Geoparks None of them are located in the Carpathian Mountains. Simultaneously south-eastern Poland—the Podkarpackie Province—boasts valuable geoheritage, biotic and cultural assets. In the past, having regard for the geological heritage, several research teams proposed the creation of three geoparks encompassing the existing landscape parks in that area. However, these were proposals based solely on scientific values. The objective of the study was to comprehensively assess their tourism potential, with a particular focus on geoheritage assets. The assessment has made it possible to determine to what extent these assets meet the conditions necessary for the functioning of this type of areas, i.e., the occurrence of diverse tourist assets, well-developed infrastructure and appropriate development potential. The assessment method used is based on 25 indices forming six groups. The analyses have been carried out for districts lying within the proposed geoparks. It has been found that the analysed area has a sufficiently high geoheritage potential that can be the basis for the functioning of two geoparks. The tourist infrastructure—particularly accommodation and catering facilities and geotourist trails—needs to be expanded and improved. It is particularly important to encourage local communities to become involved and engage in business activity within the geopark.

Landscape planning for geodiversity conservation of Ciletuh geo area in Ciletuh Geopark using bioregional approach

Indonesia has 15 National Geoparks, and four of them have been recognized by UNESCO as the Global Geopark Network (GGN). The Ciletuh Geopark is one of the geo-parks in Indonesia that UNESCO has recognized. With the status of GGN, the management of the Ciletuh Geopark area must be directed according to the area development criteria set by UNESCO. The form of designated area development is related to efforts to increase cooperation, increase local communities’ welfare, develop infrastructure, and establish sustainable geopark areas. This Area’s result must pay attention to the Area’s sensitivity with geological uniqueness so as not to damage the geological diversity (geodiversity) in it. Therefore it is necessary to arrange the area with the direction of area development under the stipulations outlined. This research aims to develop a landscape plan to conserve the Ciletuh Geo Area geodiversity as part of Ciletuh Geopark using a bioregion approach. This process starts from inventory, literature study to analysis and synthesis, and planning. The research is carried out with a bioregion approach to determine the bioregion unit, landscape unit, and place the unit. Biophysical and geological characteristics are used in the preparation of bioregion classes. The synthesis was carried out by compiling the place units with significance values at 18 geological sites, making each place unit’s intrinsic value. The landscape plan prepared by referring to the rules of conservation of nature reserves can be considered in the development and management of the Ciletuh Geo Area in particular and Ciletuh Geopark area in general.

The performance of the Geoparks Commission of the Brazilian Geology Society, from 2018 to 2020

This study presents the context of the creation and development of actions of the Geoparks Commission of the Brazilian Society of Geology (CG-SBG). For this, documentary research of the entity’s minutes and existing records in other media was carried out. The results show that the commission has positioned itself as a channel for institutional, political, and social mobilization relative to the topic of geoparks in Brazil, following the objectives established in the CG-SBG bylaws, namely: (a) awaken and conduct debates and reflections on geoparks within SBG; (b) share knowledge about the context and performance of geoparks with the national society, government institutions, and entities of common interest with this topic through publication in its most diverse media; (c) work to benefit the dissemination and implementation of geoparks in Brazil; (d) integrate representatives of the various proposals for geoparks in Brazil and; (e) propose institutional support to geoparks implementation projects in the national territory. In addition, many representatives of regional branches on the commission also form teams of aspirants and geopark projects, further facilitating the interaction between the proposals and the joint discussions. Among the actions carried out is the participation of the commission in several regional, national, and international events, the provision of information through a website, and the manifestation on issues related to geoparks, such as the need to create a National Geoparks Committee, as provided for byUNESCO, in accordance with the statutes of the International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme and guidelines of the UNESCO Global Geoparks (IGGP/2015/ST), to monitor the development of projects and act jointly with UNESCO and aspiring geoparks. Thus, this study concludes that although the commission exists within the scope of a scientific society, it has carried out actions that contribute to the strengthening of the topic of geoparks in various segments of Brazilian society, from the municipalities to national policies.

PENGEMBANGAN GEOPRODUK GEOPARK TAMBORA UNTUK PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT LOKAL BERBASIS INTERPRETASI GEOLOGI

ABSTRAKGeopark atau taman Bumi merupakan sebuah kawasan yang di dalamnya memiliki keunikan geologi (outstanding geology), yaitu nilai arkeologi, ekologi dan budaya, dengan mengikut sertakan masyarakat setempat untuk berperan dalam melindungi dan meningkatkan fungsi warisan alam. Geopark Tambora merupakan salah satu Geopark Nasional diantara 9 (sembilan) Geopark nasional lainnya. Kawasan Geopark Tambora berada di Provinsi NTB. Geopark Tambora yang berada di Pulau Sumbawa melingkupi Kabupaten Bima dan Kabupaten Dompu, meliputi Kecamatan Pekat, Kempo, Tambora, Sanggar dan sebagian wilayah Kecamatan Manggalewa. Dalam rangka melakukan upaya konservasi warisan geologi dan sekaligus memperoleh manfaat yang berkelanjutan dari Geopark Tambora diperlukan suatu perencanaan dan pemberdayaan kepada masyarakat. Pemberdayaan masyarakat lokal merupakan hal yang sangat perlu dilakukan, karena partisipasi masyarakat sangatlah penting. Geopark bertujuan untuk memberikan manfaat untuk peningkatan kesejahteraan masyarakat disekitarnya. Kegiatan Pengabdian pada Masyarakat dilakukan di kawasan Geopark Tambora yaitu di Desa Kempo, Kecamatan Kempo Kabupaten Dompu. Metode pelaksanaan Pengabdian Pada Masyarakat dengan tahapan : Melakukan pelatihan dalam pembuatannya kepada kelompok wanita di Desa Kempo, Melakukan pemberian nama sesuai dengan interpretasi geologi terhadap geokuliner yang dihasilkan dan Pelatihan pengemasan geokuliner dan bentuk promosi yang bisa dipasarkan melalui Geopark Corner. Kesimpulan dalam kegiatan pengabdian pada masyarakat ini yaitu pengembangan geoproduk berbasis masyarakat lokal dengan interpretasi geologi yaitu : Kegiatan pelatihan mendapatkan dukungan dari peserta pelatihan di Desa Kempo, Hasil pelatihan akan menjadi produk di Geopark Corner Geopark Tambora, dan Dengan adanya geokuliner diharapkan peran perempuan Desa Kempo akan mendapatkan keuntungan ekonomi. Kata kunci: geopark; pemberdayaan; masyarakat; geokuliner. ABSTRACTGeopark or park of the Earth is an area in which it has a unique geology, namely archeological, ecological and cultural values, by involving local people to play a role in protecting and enhancing the function of natural heritage. Tambora Geopark is one of the National Geopark among 9 (nine) other national Geoparks. Tambora Geopark region is in the NTB Province. Tambora Geopark located on Sumbawa Island covers Bima and Dompu Regencies, including Pekat, Kempo, Tambora, Sanggar Districts and parts of the Manggalewa District. In order to make efforts to conserve geological heritage and at the same time obtain sustainable benefits from Tambora Geopark, planning and empowerment of the community is needed. Empowerment of local communities is a very necessary thing to do, because community participation is very important. Geopark aims to provide benefits for improving the welfare of the surrounding community. Community Service Activities are carried out in the Tambora Geopark area, namely in the Village of Kempo, Kempo District, Dompu Regency. Community service implementation method with stages: Conduct training in making it to a group of women in Kempo Village, Give a name in accordance with the geological interpretation of the resulting geoculiner and geoculiner packaging training and promotional forms that can be marketed through Geopark Corner. The conclusion in this community service activity is the development of local community-based geoproducts with geological interpretation, namely: Training activities get support from training participants in Kempo Village, the results of the training will be a product at the Geopark Tambora Geopark, and with the presence of a geokuliner the role of women in Kempo Village will be get economic benefits. Keywords: geopark; empowerment; public; geoculiner.

TOURIST PERCEPTION OF THE TOURISM PRODUCTS IN MERANGIN GEOPARK, JAMBI, INDONESIA

Merangin Geopark, Jambi, Indonesia is one of Indonesian National Geoparks which is on the way of being the member of Global Geopark Network (GGN). In doing so, Merangin Geopark has been being developed as a tourist destination considering that one of the important aspects of Geopark is the tourism development. Therefore, this study was aimed to analyze the tourists’ perception of the Geopark’s tourism products. By using a qualitative approach, this study collected data from 80 respondents (as sample) through questionnaires, coupled with interviews and observation.The analysis results show that out of 4 aspects of tourism products, only attraction which gets the highest positive perception percentage (82%) meaning that the attractions are interesting enough and deserved to satisfy the visitors. Tourist organizations/managers get positive perception of 58%, which indicates that visitors are quite satisfied, but they need some improvement. Meanwhile, amenities and accessibility have more negative perception which indicates that the government should pay more attention on these two aspects.