List of UNESCO Global Geoparks in Latin America

Latin America ,[lower-alpha 1] comprising South America, Central America and the Caribbean is represented under the Global Geoparks Network by the geoparks of the Latin American Geoparks Network (Red GEOLAC). As of 2019, it includes 7 UNESCO Global Geoparks and further projects are in progress seeking UNESCO status or that of national geopark.

UNESCO Global Geoparks
UNESCO Global Geopark Image Location Area
(km2)
 Year Geodiversity
Araripe Nordeste Region
 Brazil
7°13′46″S 39°24′32″W		 3441 2006 Situated in the Araripe Basin, its globally outstanding geoheritage is connected to the palaeontological records of the Lower Cretaceous. Geosites like Parque do Pterossauros or Floresta Petrificada do Cariri preserved and illustrates this geological environment with remnants of reptiles like pterosaurus to silicified trunks and fossilized flowering plants.[1]
Comarca Minera, Hidalgo EthHidalgo State,
 Mexico
20°08′37″N 98°40′26″W		 1848 2017 The outstanding geodiversity of Comarca Minera is derived from its geological junction role with the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Sierra Madre Oriental thrust and fold belt, as well as the overlap of two magmatic suites. Mining is a principal part of the geopark's heritage that exploited the globally important gold and silver deposits here. Other principal geosites include the Metztitlán Canyon, or Santa María Regla basalt columns, which comprises the longest such columns in the world.[2][3]
Colca y Volcanes de Andagua Arequipa Department
 Peru
15°36′31″S 72°05′29″W		 6010.9 2019 According to its name, the geopark has two principal areas of geoheritage. The area encompasses 400 million years of geological records, but the main catalyst of the formation of the landscape is the Nazca Plate’s subduction under the South American Plate, resulting volcanic activity, earthquakes and several landslides in the rugged surface. The Hualca-Ampato-Sabancaya volcanic complex presents 25 volcanic cones, some of them with recent activity, such as El Misti and the Andagua volcanic field. The other flagship of local geodiversity is the Colca Canyon, which is a geological textbook with its barely vegetated flanks and one of Earth's deepest canyonss.[4]
Grutas del Palacio Flores Department
 Uruguay
33°16′44″S 57°08′44″W		 3611 2013 The gently undulating landscape of the geopark comprises a geological evolution, spanning from the Proterozoic to the Cenozoic. Granite inselbergs, outcrops of Paleozoic alluvial periods or the unique, name-bearing Grutas del Palacio, formed by the selective erosion of Mesozoic rocks some examples of the local geodiversity, that is hidden under the fertile pampas.[5][6]
Imbabura Imbabura Province
 Ecuador
0°15′30″N 78°10′42″W		 4794,34 2019 Situated northern, Ecuadorian section of the Andes, covering the entire area of Imbabura Province, the landscape is formed by the Nazca Plate's subduction. A range of active, dormant and inactive volcanoes, a topography of high relief energy and outcrops of metamorphic and sedimentary rock as well can be found here. Iconic geosites include stratovolcanoes like Cotacachi or Imbabura and numerous lakes, like the caldera lake of Mojanda or Puruhanta of glacial origin.[7][8][9]
Kütralkura Araucanía Region
 Chile
38°41′22″S 71°40′49″W		 8053 2019 The geodiversity of Kütralküra's geodiversity derives from volcanism and glaciation. Being part of the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes, 50 volcanoes are located in the geopark's territory, of which Llaima and Lonquimay are among the most active ones in Chile. Ice coverage is still observable in the higher regions of the stratovolcanoes, and the glacial lakes like Galletue or Icalma are testimony to the more extended coverage, reaching its maximum 20,000 years ago.[10][11]
Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca Drâa-Tafilalet Region
 Mexico
17°31′05″N 97°20′32″W		 415,4 2017 Mixteca Alta in the Sierra Madre del Sur is representative of the variety of Precambrian to Cenozoic bedrock and their spectacular erosive landscapes. Deeply rugged terrain of badlands, gullies, often unfolding paleosol layers are the most abundant of the geopark's geosites. The geological evolution is represented in the outcrops of Paleozoic plutonic rocks, Mesozoic tectonic features or remnants of Cenozoic volcanism.[12][13]


Araripe
Comarca Minera
Colca y Volcanes de Andagua
Grutas del Palacio
Imbabura
Kütralküra
Mixteca Alta
Latin American Geoparks Network

Aspiring and planned geoparks

According to the register of GeoLAC, the following geopark projects are in an aspiring phase (documentation close to submission to UNESCO or already submitted), or under planning, in a hatching phase.[14]

Name Location Status
Volcán Tungurahua[15] Tungurahua Province
 Ecuador
1°28′12″S 78°26′41″W		 aspiring
Río Coco[16] Madriz Department
 Nicaragua
13°27′14″N 86°42′14″W		 aspiring
Litoral Biobío[17] Biobío Region
 Chile
36°48′34″S 73°02′15″W		 under realization
Peña de Bernal and Sacred Triangle of Querétaro[18] Querétaro State
 Mexico
20°44′54″N 99°56′54″W		 under realization
Napo Sumaco[19] Napo Province
 Ecuador
0°59′34″S 77°48′54″W		 under realization
Pillán Mahuiza[20] Neuquén Province
 Argentina
40°09′40″S 71°21′36″W		 under realization
Seridó[21] Nordeste Region
 Brazil
6°51′22″S 36°24′36″W		 under realization
Volcánico del Ruiz[22] Caldas Department
 Colombia
5°04′08″N 75°30′45″W		 under realization
Huasteca Potosina[23] San Luis Potosí State
 Mexico
21°59′09″N 99°00′57″W		 under realization
Torotoro[24] Potosí Department
 Bolivia
18°08′02″S 65°45′43″W		 under realization

The Latin American Geoparks Network

History

Geoparks incitatives in Latin America have been the subject of geoscience conferences since 2001 and the first member, Araripe, Brazil was admitted to the Global Geoparks Network in 2005.[25] The 1st Latin American and the Caribbean Conference of Geoparks in 2010 issued the "Declaration of Araripe", stating that

“the conservation, valorisation and education of the Geological Heritage – the memory of the Earth–, the Natural Heritage and Cultural Heritage, tangible and intangible, are subject to sustainable development and correspond to the need and concerns of the people in the continental region of Latin America and the Caribbean" and "It shall allow the development of instruments for regional and global cooperation through exchange of experiences and management practices among Geoparks ..."

The "1st Symposium of Geoparks" in Arequipa, Peru issued the "Declaration of Arequipa", confirming the reaffirming the Declaration of Araripe and

"advancing with the operational guidelines of the Latin American and Caribbean UNESCO Global Geoparks... with the UNESCO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean ... assuming the (transitory) responsibility of moving forward with the creation of the rules of operation and other communication objectives in conjunction with the signatory partners."[26]

The official declaration of the foundation of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network for Latin America and the Caribbean (GeoLAC) was issued in 2017 May, during the "4th Latin American and Caribbean Symposium on Geoparks", by four founding members (Araripe, Grutas del Palacio, Comarca Minera and Mixteca Alta UNESCO Global Geoparks).[27]

The network was enlarged with 3 new members in 2019 (Colca y Volcanes de Andagua, Imbabura, Kütralküra) and aspiring and planned geoparks are also related to the regional geopark network.

Recognition of Latin America's geodiversity under different international frameworks

World Heritage sites

Twelve sites are represented currently on the World Heritage list under criterion VIII,[28] as outstanding representatives of Earth's history:

Further sites are inscribed under criterion VII[29] of superlative natural phenomena and aesthetic importance. Some of them, which have a special geoheritage importance are:

Notes
  1. Latin America is considered here as the Latin America and the Caribbean region of the World Heritage Convention. Geoparks are currently not included in the Latin American Geoparks Network

References
  1. "Araripe | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  2. "Comarca Minera Hidalgo | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  3. "Comarca Minera Geopark website". geoparquehidalgo.com. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  4. "Colca y volcanes de Andagua | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  5. "Grutas del Palacio | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  6. "Grutas del Palacio UNESCO Global Geopark Website". www.geoparque.uy. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  7. "Imbabura | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  8. "Imbabura Geopark Project brings UNESCO to Yachay Tech – Yachay Tech". Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  9. "Imbabura Geopark - Application document" (PDF). Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  10. "Kütralkura | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  11. "Kütralküra Geopark website". Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  12. "Mixteca Alta Oaxaca | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  13. "Mixteca Alta Geopark website". www.geoparquemixtecaalta.org. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  14. "GeoLAC - Geoparks / Aspiring Geoparks and Geoparks Projects". www.redgeolac.org. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  15. "Geoparque Volcán Tungurahua - Official Facebook page". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  16. "PROYECTO GEOPARQUE RÍO COCO". PROYECTO GEOPARQUE RÍO COCO (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  17. "Proyecto Geoparque Minero Litoral del Biobío - Official FB page". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  18. "Pena de Bernal and Sacred Triangle of Queretaro Geopark Project - Website". Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  19. "Geoparque Napo Sumaco - Official FB page". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  20. "Pillán Mahuiza Geopark | Patagonian Lands". 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  21. "GEOPARQUE – SERIDÓ - Official webpage". Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  22. "GEOPARQUE DEL RUIZ - GeoParque del Ruíz | GeoParque del Ruiz" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  23. "Proyecto Geoparque Huasteca Potosina - Official FB page". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  24. "Geoparque Torotoro - Official website". www.geoparquetorotoro.org. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  25. "TOWARDS THE LATIN AMERICAN AND THE CARIBBEAN GEOPARKS NETWORK" (PDF). Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  26. "Reglas de Operación - Red GeoLAC (in Spanish)" (PDF). Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  27. "Letter of Foundation - GeoLAC (in Spanish)" (PDF). Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  28. "UNESCO World Heritage sites, filtered to Latin America and the Caribbean and criterion VIII". Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  29. "UNESCO World Heritage sites, filtered to Latin America and the Caribbean and criterion VII". Retrieved 22 January 2020.
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