Six of China's national geoparks were selected on Monday as International Geoparks at the second UNESCO International Conference on Geoparks.

Spain had three of its geoparks selected, while Norway, Portugal and Brazil each had one at the conference held in Belfast.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Walter Erdelen, assistant director-general for Natural Sciences at UNESCO, pointed out that the number of geoparks and their geographical coverage have almost doubled since the First International Geoparks Conference was held in Beijing in 2004. "All around the world, there has been increasing interest in the need to work together in the field of geological heritage," he said.

The Office of Global Geoparks Network is also located in Beijing.

The second conference focused on geoparks'  roles in protecting geological heritage, educating the public about the environment, promoting regional sustainable development and developing educational tourism and geo-tourism.

The objective of the conference was to reflect on the development of the geoparks initiative across the world, and to celebrate Earth Heritage. The content covered mechanisms that would ensure the continued growth of the initiative and the strengthening of the Global Geoparks Network.

The delegates said that geoparks are not just about landscapes and rocks, but also about people. Geoparks are developing into top quality products related to tourism, which can help sustain both the local environment and communities around the geoparks.

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2006)