Indonesia has been appointed the first president of UNESCO Global Geopark Youth Forum, while it also holds the G20 Presidency this year. This is a chance to expose our geoparks on a large scale.Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Indonesian millennials can play a pivotal role in developing geoparks and helping build public understanding about geoparks, a government official said.
"Indonesia has been appointed the first president of the UNESCO Global Geopark Youth Forum, while it also holds the G20 Presidency this year," Coordinator of the National Geopark Development Strategy at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Togu Pardede said.
Indonesia must use the forum and its G20 Presidency to promote its geoparks in a large scale, he said in an interview with ANTARA at Sultan Adam People's Forest Park in South Kalimantan on Friday.
The UNESCO Global Geopark Youth Forum comprises 44 Geopark Youth representatives from 44 countries. There are a total of 169 UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGG) worldwide.
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A geopark is a futuristic concept that envisages a change in the mindset from nature exploitation to sustainable development. “(Thus) Conservation runs parallel to economic development,” he remarked.
Asked about the potential for Meratus Geopark, he said it has extraordinary potential.
"Meratus has the potential for extraordinary geodiversity, biodiversity, and cultural diversity. They all are related to each other and have their own stories,” he noted.
From existing rocks, local people can learn about flora, fauna, humans, and culture—all of which are related to each other, he said.
To date, Indonesia has 19 national geoparks, six of which have been recognized as UGG.
The Meratus Geopark that was declared a national geopark in 2018 is being nominated for UGG status.
Pardede further clarified the misconception that a geopark is a conservation area so the public cannot carry out economic activities there.
"As a matter of fact, the public can carry out economic activities in the geopark area by taking advantage of flora and fauna, under the spirit of conservation. (They can) carry out economic activities while protecting the nature from destruction,” he said.
"Moreover, when the Meratus Geopark is declared UGG, the world community will also conserve it,” he added.
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Translator: Sri Haryati, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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