Exploring New Pathways for Geopark Development in Australia

1. Exploring New Pathways for
Geopark Development in Australia
34th International Geological Congress
Geoparks Symposium – 10th August, 2012
Angus M Robinson

2. Today’s Agenda
 What is Geopark?
 Land Management Systems in Australia
 Challenges for Geopark Development
 Opportunities for ‘Geoparks’/Geotourism
 A solution and potential scenarios
 Take Aways

3. What is a Geopark?
 A Global Geopark is a unified area with
geological heritage of international significance
and where that heritage is being used to
promote the sustainable development of the
local communities who live there.
 The Global Geopark brand is a voluntary, quality
label and while it is not a legislative designation,
the key heritage sites within a geopark should
be protected under local, regional or national
legislation as appropriate.
 These Earth heritage sites are part of an
integrated concept of protection, education,
and sustainable development.
development

4. Core Elements of a Geopark
A GEOPARK achieves its goals of fostering local
development through a three-pronged approach:
 GEOCONSERVATION: A GEOPARK seeks to conserve significant
GEOCONSERVATION
geological features, and explore and demonstrate methods for
excellence in conservation.
 EDUCATION: A GEOPARK organises activities and provides
EDUCATION
logistic support to communicate geoscientific knowledge and
environmental concepts to the public.
 GEOTOURISM: A GEOPARK stimulates economic activity and
GEOTOURISM
sustainable development through geotourism.

5. Land Composition of a Geopark
A GEOPARK may comprise either solely or a
mix of
 protected public lands including WHAs,
national parks and any other like areas
designated by national governments,
governments
 private lands,
and located wholly within or across
national/state boundaries’

6. Land Management System in Australia
Public ‘Crown’ Lands
 Protected areas – WHAs, national parks, nature reserves, state
conservation/recreation areas, wildlife refuges etc.
 Other public lands – state forests, crown lands, catchment areas, stock
routes, council owned lands, public roads, railway easements etc.
 Australia is a diverse federation of state and territory managed ‘crown’
lands and land management is the art of managing fiercely competing
priorities, and this situation is becoming increasingly complex.
Private Lands
 Freehold with/without conservation covenants
 Leasehold, including pastoral
 Roads and easements
 Native title lands
Mining, Petroleum and Exploration Titles
 Exploration/prospecting licenses
 Mining/mining purpose leases

9. Australia’s
National
Landscapes

10. National Landscapes and Geoparks
 Have similar goals relating to local
development, education and
experiential tourism (‘geotourism’).
 However, National Landscapes do not
focus on fostering geoconservation, but
geoconservation
have a broader ‘natural heritage’ remit.
 Nonetheless, the GSA has recently
developed with Parks Australia a
protocol providing for geoscience input.
input

11. Intensifying Land Management and
Access Issues - Australia
 Pollution control
 Soil erosion and management
 Water quality/resources/catchment
 Natural and built heritage and indigenous
culture including geoheritage
 Noxious weeds and vermin
 Agricultural and pasture protection
 Flora and fauna protection
 Utilities and transportation access
 Mineral/gas resources and industrial minerals

12. KANAWINKA GEOPARK
Australia's First Geopark

13. Sydney
Adelaide
Kanawinka Melbourne
Geopark

14. KANAWINKA GEOPARK

15. Kanawinka and the EPHC
In November 2009, Australian Government
Ministers for the Environment and Heritage
decided that whilst Australian governments
support geological heritage, they have
significant concerns with the application of the
UNESCO Geoparks concept in Australia,
especially without government endorsement.
Furthermore they determined that existing
mechanisms are considered sufficient to protect
geoheritage.

16. Land Status and Kanawinka Geopark
 The designated Kanawinka Geopark
area embraces mostly lands which
are not protected under national
parks or other similar conservation
schemes.
 Kanawinka Geopark partly
embraces lands within the
designated Great Ocean Road
National Landscape.
Landscape

17. Building Awareness and Support
in the Geological Professions
1. The Australian geological profession has shown
very little interest in or support for
geotourism.
2. The mining and exploration industries as well
as museums, universities, and government
agencies are generally perceived by geologists
as providing the only employment
opportunities.
opportunities
3. Geoparks and geotourism are perceived by
many geologists employed in industry as
creating threats to employment through the
alienation of land from exploration and
mining.

18. Building Awareness and Support
in the Geological Professions
4. Geologists employed in the mining industry
have not yet realised the potential for
protecting the geoheritage related to
economic geology.
5. By and large, geotourism is now being
championed mainly by geomorphologists,
geographers and speleologists rather than by
mainstream geologists.
6. Even then, very few of these professionals
understand the ‘drivers’ of tourism.

19. Mining Industry Land Access Issues
While Global Geopark status does not imply restrictions
on any economic activity inside a geopark where that
activity complies with local, regional or national
legislation, mining interests are wary of:
Restricted access to land for exploration and mining.
Geoparks or any land designated a ‘park’ alienating
land beyond the boundaries of national parks.
Geoheritage measures restricting access to outcrops.
outcrops
In Tasmania, for example, mining interests want
Tasmania
access to existing protected lands and would vigorously
oppose any more alienation.

20. Institutional Resistance to Geoparks
 State Geological Surveys are not supportive of the
concept – exasperates land alienation.
 Staff in many national parks are more interested and
trained in other areas of natural heritage.
heritage
 Limited geoscience constituency in government land
management agencies.
 Geoparks would mean a new and competing funding
need – diverted from national parks.
 Designated geoparks adds to the complexity of
government administration.
 Viewpoint that the National Landscape Program should
be developed further as a preferred strategy.

21. Summary -Challenges for Geopark
Development in Australia
 Other competing land classification systems
underpinned by environmental, heritage and
tourism values e.g. national landscapes, world
heritage areas.
 The politics of Australian federalism.
 Relatively low profile of geoscience in the
Australian community – overshadowed by the
strong influence of the Australian mining
industry lobby.
 Apathy amongst the Australian geological
community.

22. Geology/Geomorphology focus in
National Parks & National Landscapes
There is an opportunity to foster and promote
geotourism initiatives within Australia’s
National Landscapes with geological and
geomorphological significance, as a model to
advancing geotourism and geoheritage
considerations in other regions, having
particular regard to the recently stated views
of the EPHC relating to the future of Geopark
proposals in Australia.
AESC 2010 Workshop

23. Geotourism – Establishing ‘Common
Ground’ with the Parks Movement
There is an opportunity for geotourism
advocates to engage with state/territory park
managers to determine commonality on issues
relating to:
 Connecting landscapes
 Forming partnerships with other land users
 Attracting visitors, particularly from overseas
 Development of regional communities
 Indigenous engagement
 Identification & conservation of geosites/geotrails

24. Suggested Solution for Australia
Advance the proposition that pilot
geoparks in Australia be developed
linked to existing protected areas.
WHY?
The vast majority of concerns about
geopark development would
automatically fall away.
away

26. Scenario 1:
Willandra Lakes
World Heritage
Area and Mungo
National Park
Pleistocene Dune System &
ancient lake highlighting
50,000 years of continuous
human habitation close to a
new minerals sands mining
area
2,400 square kilometres
Size of Luxembourg

27. Scenario 2:
Blue Mountains
World Heritage Area –
already a designated
National Landscape
Iconic Triassic sedimentary
landforms of the Sydney
Basin – eight protected areas
10,000 square km area
Size of Lebanon

28. Scenario 3:
Warrambungles
National Park
Outstanding Miocene
Shield Volcano
remnant landforms
close to a major coal
development area
236 square km area

29. Three Global Geopark Scenarios
Whilst arguably the Blue Mountains WHA
offers the most compelling nomination as a
global geopark given its significance as an
exemplar of the Sydney Basin geology, from a
regional development perspective, global
perspective
geopark nomination would deliver significant
benefits for the Country NSW region
(Warrumbungles NP) and the NSW Outback
region (Willandra Lakes WHA).

30. Take-Aways
 Need to propose a geopark model which
meets Australia’s complex land management
systems and is supported by governments and
other land users.
 Need to build a constituency amongst
Australia’s geoscience community.
 Need to advance geopark benefits in context
of regional development, global branding, and
increased visitation to natural areas.
 Advancing a ‘linked protected areas’ strategy
for pilot geopark development maximises the
chance of government support.

31. Contact Details
Angus M Robinson
Chair, GSA Geotourism Sub Committee
angus@leisuresolutions.com.au
geoheritage@gsa.org.au
+61 418 488 340