Recently, the 2026 Annual Conference of China's UNESCO Global Geoparks and the Seminar on High-Quality Development of Global Geoparks during the 15th Five-Year Plan Period were held at the Xingwen UNESCO Global Geopark in Sichuan Province. Guo Chongkuo, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Wudalianchi UNESCO Global Geopark, led a delegation to Xingwen. At the experience-sharing session, he delivered a thematic presentation on the park's reassessment practice, sharing its experience and approaches in the protection and management of a volcanic geopark and in quality improvement in preparation for reassessment.
The annual conference was hosted by the National Geopark Network Center and comprised an opening ceremony, experience-sharing sessions, the seminar on high-quality development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and field excursions, among other activities. It brought together management representatives of UNESCO Global Geoparks and aspiring geoparks from across the country as well as industry experts to discuss core topics including UNESCO reassessment, geoscience popularization, community co-construction, and the value conversion of geoheritage. The conference also released outreach publications such as Earth Imprints: Archives of China's UNESCO Global Geoparks and Travels in Frame: China's UNESCO Global Geoparks, along with the Sichuan UNESCO Global Geoparks promotional film A Pledge to the Mountains and Rivers, and reached the "Xingwen Consensus," an industry consensus charting the path for the high-quality development of China's global geoparks in the next stage.
At the special session for geoparks undergoing reassessment, representatives from Dali Cangshan, Mount Tai, Mount Lu, Zhangjiajie, Wudalianchi, Funiushan, Kunlun Mountain and other UNESCO Global Geoparks took the stage in turn to share their reassessment practices. Drawing on the distinctive features of Wudalianchi's volcanic geoheritage and the park's assessment history, Guo Chongkuo systematically presented the series of work the park has carried out across the six assessment dimensions — geoheritage protection, scientific research and monitoring, geoscience education, community collaboration, infrastructure upgrading, and improvement of the interpretation system. He also gave a candid review of the shortcomings and weaknesses identified during the reassessment process, and elaborated in detail on the measures taken to address them, including the establishment of a problem ledger, categorized rectification, and the improvement of long-term stewardship mechanisms.
In his presentation, Wudalianchi focused on summarizing reassessment experience that other parks can draw on, exchanging views with fellow geoparks on risk prevention and control, the organization of on-site assessment, and the development of archive systems, and jointly exploring pathways for the sustainable operation of global geoparks. Participants held in-depth discussions on the difficulties of reassessment, risk avoidance, and value tapping, learning from and complementing one another.
During the conference, the delegation also took part in the Seminar on High-Quality Development of Global Geoparks during the 15th Five-Year Plan Period, where they heard thematic reports on the development of the geoscience popularization system, sustainable community development, the identification of paleontological fossils, the value conversion of karst landscapes, and reassessment risk strategies; they joined the plenary discussions, studied the innovative models of parks such as Xingwen Shihai in resource development, brand building, and low-carbon development, and actively pursued cooperation with sister parks, discussing intentions for follow-up collaboration in scientific research, popularization, and reciprocal study-visit programs.
Going forward, Wudalianchi UNESCO Global Geopark will build on the outcomes of this annual conference, continue to close gaps against UNESCO assessment standards, consolidate the foundation for the protection of volcanic geoheritage, deepen the coordinated development of scientific research and popularization, community integration, and eco-tourism, and further enhance the profile of its volcanic geological brand, thereby contributing to the high-quality development of China's global geopark network.
