“Geoparks are not merely relics of the past, nor static world heritage sites untouched by time,” he said during Indonesia’s Geopark Leader Forum, Building Knowledge for Indonesia’s Geopark Development, here on Wednesday.
He highlighted three main pillars of geoparks: conservation, education, and local economic development, supported by three key elements—geological diversity, biodiversity, and cultural diversity.
Geopark development should be accompanied by a shift in mindset in natural resource management, moving from extraction to conservation to increase added value. Management must also be bottom-up and sustainable among stakeholders, Pambudy added.
Towards the Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision, geoparks will serve as one of the indicators in the 2025-2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan.
Indonesia currently has 12 UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) out of 241 worldwide, equal to Italy and second only to China (49 UGGp) and Spain (18 UGGp). If all national geoparks were registered, Indonesia could host the largest number in the world.
By 2029, 17 geoparks are projected to be recommended or designated as UGGp. Indonesia’s location on the Eurasian, Indo-Australian, and Pacific tectonic plates gives it unique geological diversity, making it prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity.
The Ministry emphasized integrating geopark development with regional planning, establishing geoparks as Centers of Excellence focusing on human resource development, research, and technology.
Geotourism should prioritize quality over mass tourism, and local geoproducts should be strengthened to support sustainable creative economy models.
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Translator: Alatas, Kenzu
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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