UNESCO's assessment revealed several fundamental weaknesses, including a lack of coordination among parties involved in the geopark's management, the Deputy for Destination Development and Infrastructure at the Ministry of Tourism, Hariyanto, stated in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The UNESCO team also noted the absence of standards for conveying information at geological sites, and supporting facilities were deemed inadequate, diminishing the quality of the visitor experience.
Additionally, continuous research activities and public education related to geological wealth, biodiversity, and cultural values were considered suboptimal.
In light of this, the government is currently preparing a new layout for the Toba Caldera Geopark, which will include adequate facilities.
"The preparation of the site plan will be completed by the UNESCO Global Geopark Toba Caldera Management Agency, along with related agencies in charge of energy and mineral resources in North Sumatra province," he informed.
According to Hariyanto, the government will allocate Rp56.6 billion (US$3.4 million) from the 2024 Special Allocation Fund for developing amenities and attractions in marine and water tourism areas, as well as non-marine nature tourism areas within the geopark.
This fund can also be used to build amenities and attractions at cultural tourism sites in urban and rural areas across eight districts around Lake Toba.
"Specifically, support for geopark visibility is used to build a main gate to the geopark, geopark totems, and geopark interpretation boards at one of the geosites of the Toba Caldera Geopark, namely at the Silalahi Geosite in Sabungan, Diri Regency," he explained.
Another identified weakness, Hariyanto added, is the limited involvement of the UNESCO Global Geopark Toba Management Agency in international forums initiated by UNESCO.
Such participation is considered vital for maintaining credibility and ties with the global network of geoparks.
The primary challenge in fulfilling this recommendation is budget availability.
For instance, participating in UNESCO activities in September 2025 in Chile will incur significant costs.
He further emphasized that financial support is necessary for representatives from natural park managements to actively participate in international training in countries such as France, Greece, Japan, and Morocco.
The Toba Caldera Geopark received this yellow card at the UNESCO Global Geopark forum held in Morocco on September 4 and 5, 2023.
No formal documents were issued; instead, the geopark's management was granted a two-year re-evaluation period to rectify various aspects that do not meet the standards.
"The yellow card indicates that the visibility of geosites is still low, and improvements are necessary for people to better understand the important value of this geopark," Hariyanto explained.
The administration of North Sumatra has also instructed relevant agencies to provide maximum support in improving the Toba Caldera Geopark.
Hariyanto stressed that synergy among local, central, and community governments is crucial for maintaining the geopark's status.
Besides Toba Caldera, several other geoparks worldwide also received yellow card in 2023, including the Zhijindong Cave in China, Luberon Regional National Park in France, Madonie in Italy, and Colca y Volcanes de Andagua in Peru.
Related news: Two Indonesian sites gain UNESCO Global Geopark status
Related news: New Bali marina to help make Indonesia key maritime hub: Pelindo
Translator: Hreeloita Dharma Shanti, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
