The UNESCO Geopark Council, which met in connection with the international Geopark conference held in Morocco at the beginning of September, proposes a green card for the Lauhanvuori – Hämeenkangas Geopark for the new evaluation period – the decision of the UNESCO Steering Group is still awaited.

The first interim evaluation of the Lauhanvuori – Hämeenkangas UNESCO Global Geopark was carried out in June 2023. The UNESCO evaluators in the area were Greek geologist Dr. Ilias Valiakos and Norwegian geologist Pål Thjømøe, who extensively studied the development of the Geopark over the past four years, the sites, people, systems and phenomena. They wrote a report at the outset, which the UNESCO Geopark Council discussed in connection with the International Geopark Conference in Morocco. The Council made a proposal on the color of the card we received, which the UNESCO Steering Group will decide on in December. A green card means direct passage, but it also always includes a list of development recommendations that must be fulfilled by the next evaluation.

The evaluators describe Lauhanvuori – Hämeenkangas Geopark as a “very active Geopark”, where “the Geopark team works very enthusiastically to promote the area and its offerings, to productize sustainable tourism and to build a platform for various activities”. The Geopark received praise from the evaluators for its good visibility throughout the Geopark, the comprehensive availability of Geopark information in various formats and networking. The area’s service infrastructure was praised for its high quality, both in natural sites and in other facilities.

The development recommendations relate to the demarcation of the area, the unification of Geopark information and its appearance throughout the area, improving the visibility of international Geopark networks in the Geopark, the target groups and content of environmental education, and the products sold by the Geopark. – The evaluators gave excellent tips on site about what could be done, meaning that the evaluation visits are the best situations to get personal consultation. During the evaluation, a lot of advice was received that is not found in the evaluation report, says Terttu Hermansson, Executive Director of Lauhanvuori – Hämeenkangas UNESCO Global Geopark.

For more information:

Terttu Hermansson, Executive Director, Lauhanvuori – Hämeenkangas UNESCO Global Geopark, [email protected], 040 6757 363.

Photo: Pasi Talvitie