April 22, 2024 is the 55th World Earth Day, and the theme of this year's Earth Day is "Planet vs. Plastics". In order to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, publicize Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, guide the whole society to establish the concept of ecological civilization of "respecting nature, conforming to nature, and protecting nature", promote the construction of beautiful Qianshan, and jointly build an earth home where man and nature coexist in harmony, Tianzhushan Global Geopark, Anqing Qianshan Ecological Environment Branch and Qianshan Pailou Central Primary School jointly carried out the 55th "World Earth Day" and the 5th Asia-Pacific Geopark Week Science Popularization Campaign. In the form of museum-school cooperation and joint construction and common benefit, Tianzhushan Geopark will give full play to the social education function of the museum and jointly build a "second classroom" for popular science education.
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On November 4th, the 2025 Annual Conference of Chinese UNESCO Global Geoparks & 10th Anniversary Seminar grandly opened in Wugongshan UNESCO Global Geopark, Jiangxi Province. This grand event, themed "A Decade of Building Dreams for Geoparks, Now Uniting Strength for a New Chapter in Wugong," served not only as an annual platform for summarizing and exchanging ideas within China's Global Geoparks but also highlighted the significant value of Global Geoparks in China's ecological civilization construction and international cultural exchange from three dimensions: sustainable development, building a Beautiful China, and mutual learning.
The opening ceremony featured addresses by Yu Hui, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Protected Areas under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and Wei Yanguang, Deputy Party Secretary and Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, and Director of the National Geoparks Network Center. He Qingcheng, Executive Deputy Director of the National Geoparks Network Center, presided over the session and delivered a report. Li Jun, Second-Level Inspector of the Jiangxi Provincial Forestry Department, and Xiong Yunlang, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Pingxiang City, delivered respective addresses. Professor Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Beijing Office, and Professor Antonio De Sousa Abreu, Director of the UNESCO Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, sent video messages congratulating the conference.
Attendees included Sun Tie, Director of the Natural Parks Division within the Department of Protected Areas of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration; Ren Fang, Director of the Office of the National Geoparks Network Center and Director of the Geoheritage Division at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences; Wang Qingchun, Director of the Protected Areas Management Division of the Jiangxi Provincial Forestry Department; as well as leaders, experts, and representatives from various Global Geoparks, relevant competent authorities, and scientific research institutions across the country. Representatives from Tianzhushan UNESCO Global Geopark participated in this conference.
Centered around the theme "A Decade of Building Dreams for Geoparks, Now Uniting Strength for a New Chapter in Wugong," this year's annual conference provided a valuable platform for summarizing experiences, deepening exchanges, and exploring future directions. During the conference, He Qingcheng, representing the National Geoparks Network Center, delivered the report titled "2025 Work Summary and 2026 Key Work Plan for China's UNESCO Global Geoparks." Zhong Liangde, Member of the District Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Management Committee, shared the experiences of Wugongshan Global Geopark in construction and management. Meanwhile, representatives from geoparks such as Yunyang, Kanbula, Zhijindong and Yandangshan delivered speeches exchanging insights on new applications, geopark expansion and revalidation work.
In the afternoon, presided over by Wei Yanguang, Deputy Party Secretary and Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and Director of the National Geoparks Network Center, a symposium for geoparks facing revalidation missions in 2026 was held in a smaller meeting room. Representatives from 14 UGGps undergoing revalidation missions, including Lushan, Wudalianchi, and Zhangjiajie, along with their competent authorities, engaged in in-depth discussions on the revalidation process.
Subsequently, a thematic seminar, chaired by Ren Fang, Director of the Office of the National Geoparks Network Center and Director of the Geoheritage Division at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, was also conducted enthusiastically. Experts participated in lively discussions on topics including the achievements of the UNESCO Global Geoparks program over the past decade. Experts including Kristof Vandenberghe, Ren Fang, and Li Chunlin delivered excellent reports, providing valuable suggestions for the sustainable development of global geoparks. Following this, a flag-handover ceremony was held onsite to designate the host of the next China UNESCO Global Geoparks Annual Conference.
The convening of this Wugongshan Annual Conference marks both a summary of the ten-year development of UNESCO Global Geoparks in China and the starting point of a new journey. From safeguarding the ecological foundation for sustainable development, to depicting the vivid panorama of a Beautiful China, and to building international bridges for mutual learning, China's UNESCO Global Geoparks are contributing a "Chinese Approach" to global geoheritage protection and human sustainable development with their unique value.
