From Jan. 13 to Jan. 19, the International Course on Geoparks Management and Development was held in the international academic exchange center of China University of Geosciences (Beijing). More than 60 delegates from Chinese global geoparks, national geoparks, scientific research institutes and universities took the training course for one week. A representative of Tianzhushan Global Geopark also attended the course.

This training course, with the support of UNESCO and under the auspices of the Global Geoparks Network, was co-organized by China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and University of the Aegean, Lesvos, Greece. As an important capacity-building activity of GGN, this training course was the first big event since global geoparks joined the IGGP program of UNESCO, and all members of GGN Executive Board participated in the course, which would play a significant role in promoting the construction and development of Chinese and Asia-Pacific Global Geoparks.

This course made the managers of geoparks, geopark experts and partners further understand the new statute, the operational guideline, the concept, the principle and regulations of the global geopark, shared successful experience in the construction and efficient operation of geoparks and solved the problems existing in the construction and development of geoparks. This course was held in different ways, including lectures, workshops and field trips, etc.

On the graduation ceremony, two coordinators of the training course, Mr. Nicolas Zouros, the president of GGNA, and Prof. Zhang Jianping of China University of Geosciences (Beijing), said this activity had made great achievements and they would hold more such training courses in China in the future.